Realize
by koichii
Summary: Take time to realize that your warmth is crashing down on in... After being humiliated by his first love in junior high, Natsu transferred to Magnolia the moment he became a high schooler. One day, however, the past came back to haunt him. NatGray!
1. Chapter 1

**I am a fujoshi, alright but I didn't really fancy any yaoi shipping in FT until I've read this one story about Ice Skating. Oh well. Then from being a NaLi and Gruvia fan, I went to NatGray. No problem there because I find them so adorable that I couldn't help but write a story about this pair. Teehee~**

**This plot was based on a shoujo manga I've read. Though some scenes may be different. Just the plot's the same. :)**

**Natsu is the uke here. Honestly, when the story's all about cheesiness, fluff and everything sweet that would make my tooth ache, Natsu's the perfect one to be uke. But when it comes to smut and all the not-for-kids stories, I want Gray to be bottom. HAHA. I guess we all have fantasies then. XDDDD**

**Title is based from Colbie Caillat's song, Realize.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

–**Realize–**

"_What is it, Natsu?"_

_The pinkette heaved a deep breath. "Well, you see..." He fidgeted while twirling his fingers as he looked down, face flushing hard. Never in his whole life had he been so nervous like this._

_An impatient tapping of the foot. "Come on, Natsu. Hurry up and spit it out. We don't have all day here."_

"_I..." Another fidget and a huge gulp. "I like you–"_

"NATSU! I swear, if you don't wake up right now, I'm gonna let Erza in here!"

"Hah!" Natsu gasped as he was startled awake by his bestfriend, Lucy's, voice and what she had said. He frantically looked around trying to find their red-haired friend that Lucy had mentioned. "Nooooo! Not Erza please!" He then ran around the room in panic. The last thing he wanted was to see the scary girl first thing in the morning. Erza was known to beat everyone who pisses her off and Natsu had experienced firsthand the wrath of the girl everyone calls Titania.

The rolling while laughing form of Lucy on his carpeted floor made Natsu stop running and screaming his head off like a girl. Then he realized that she had just tricked him. "LUCY!" He yelled as he lunged onto the still laughing blonde girl. He began tickling her mercilessly.

"N-Natsu… No… HAHAHAHA!" Lucy wiggled vainly as she tried to get away from the pinkette's assault. "N-No! Please… Okay.. O-kay… S-Sorry! HAHA!" She lay there on the floor, panting hard, tears obvious in her eyes from laughing hard, when Natsu got off her. "Idiot, Natsu. You ruined my hair." She said with a laugh as she sat up and began fixing her one-sided ponytail.

"It's your fault. Scaring me like that when I was dreaming of something." He whispered the last part but Lucy heard him well.

"Dreaming? Of what?" She asked as she tilted her head while looking up at him curiously.

Natsu blushed a bit when he remembered the dream. _I like you. _"N-Nothing…" He stammered as he turned away from Lucy so she wouldn't see that his face had become as pink as his hair. "I'll take a shower now so we can already go to school." Then he left her without letting her reply.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at the pinkette's attitude. Then her eyes widened when she remembered that she was supposed to tell him something important. "Oh, crap. I hope Natsu wouldn't kill me later for forgetting to tell him that we have a test today."

* * *

"Lucy, why do you look so nervous?" Natsu asked when he noticed the blonde girl fidgeting as they walked towards their classroom. She had been acting weird ever since they left his house and went to school.

"Err… Natsu, I have to tell you something…" The blonde girl started while looking away. Sweat formed on her forehead as she thought of a way to break the news to the pinkette without him going berserk or something like it. "You see, I… well…"

"Yes, Lucy?" Natsu was getting nervous, too. What could Lucy be hiding from him that she's acting like that? "And why do you look like you're about to get killed?"

Lucy flinched then she laughed nervously. If only Erza or Loke were there. So she could have someone to hide behind when Natsu would begin to go mad at her. "Natsu, I…"

"Hey, we're here." Natsu cut her off as he opened the door of their classroom. Both teens flinched and Lucy forgot what she was about to tell Natsu again when they saw that their teacher was already there. _Crap. We're late? _They both thought.

But fortunately for them, the teacher was in a good mood. "Oh, Natsu and Lucy. You're here. Take your seats now. I canceled the test for there's a new student joining us and it wouldn't be fair for him if we go on with the test."

"New student?"

"What test?"

Lucy and Natsu spoke together. Then Lucy looked away guiltily when the pinkette looked at her. "That's what I've been trying to tell you a while ago." She said while laughing nervously. Surely, Natsu wouldn't kill her in front of the teacher, would he?

The pinkette stared at her for a moment then he gave her one of his adorable grins which made her and everyone, even the boys, to blush. Natsu Dragneel, though he's a boy, has got lots of admirers because of his adorable face and cheerful personality. "Don't worry, Lucy, at least the test was canceled."

Lucy heaved a sigh of relief then the two went to their respective seats and watched as the teacher went out of the classroom to fetch the new student. "I wonder who the new student is." The blonde murmured to the pinkette who nodded.

"I heard he's from Edolas." Erza, who was seating on Natsu's other side, informed the two. She's a very pretty girl who's got a very pretty scarlet hair, too. She looked tough on the outside which scared most of the students but Natsu and Lucy knew that she's a softie and a romantic by heart. She turned to the pinkette. "Maybe you know him, Natsu. You're from there, too, right?"

"So it's a boy, huh." Lucy commented. Then she felt a hand closing over her own which made her look up to her right side. She blushed furiously when she was met by her boyfriend's gorgeous face. "W-What?"

"You're so cute when you blush, princess." Loke purred as he pinched her cheek softly. He grinned when she blushed even more. "Kawaii."

"Stop it." She slapped his hand away but she didn't resist when he slung his arm over her shoulder. "Idiot, Loke." She muttered.

Loke kissed her cheek just when the door opened and the teacher entered. Following him was a handsome raven-haired boy who looked coldly at everyone. Natsu paled when he saw the newcomer.

"Class, this is Gray Fullbuster. He will be your classmate from now on. Be good to him." The teacher said then he turned to the poker-faced boy. "You may take a seat now, Gray. There's a vacant seat behind Natsu."

_Fuck. _Natsu thought as he unconsciously slumped in his chair so that the raven-haired boy wouldn't see him.

Said boy looked up when he heard the name. Unfortunately for Natsu, he's the only one who had pink hair in the class so Gray spotted him easily. And to everyone's surprise and much to the fangirls' delight, Gray's passive and cold expression suddenly turned into an attractive smirk.

"Natsu Dragneel. Long time no see, _Pinky._"

* * *

"Do you know the new student, Natsu?" Lucy asked while she, Natsu, Erza and Loke went to the cafeteria that noon to have lunch. What happened at the classroom a while ago didn't go unnoticed by everyone and they could say that it surprised them.

"No." Natsu said in a tone that told them no amount of prying would be able to make him tell what he knew about Gray Fullbuster.

"But he seemed to know you." Erza said.

"He even called you 'Pinky'." Loke added with a Cheshire grin on his handsome face. He and everyone who were close to Natsu Dragneel knew that the pinkette hated being teased about his pink hair.

Natsu scowled when he remembered that. "That's just because of my –"

"Hey Pinky," A familiar voice suddenly spoke, effectively cutting Natsu off who in turn went pale. They all looked back and saw the new student, Gray Fullbuster, approaching them. And he had a predatory smirk on his handsome face. Natsu gulped.

"What the hell do you want?" He snapped, wishing that the floor would swallow him now.

"Come," Then before anyone could react, the raven-haired teen began dragging the pinkette away.

"What the. Let me go, ice-block!" Natsu yelled as he vainly tried to pull away from the raven's grasp.

"He doesn't know him, huh." Lucy mumbled as they watched the two boys disappear in a corner.

* * *

"What do you want?" Natsu snapped when Gray finally let him go. They're now in an empty classroom where the raven-haired teen brought him after dragging him away from his friends. He crossed his arms on his chest as he glared at the guy in front of him who was casually leaning against the door preventing any means of escape.

"So you're here, too." Gray said, the grin never leaving his face. He took a step towards the pinkette who began to take a step back. "How are you, Natsu?" He asked, his voice turning into a low purr which sent shivers down Natsu's spine.

Natsu slapped Gray's hand away that began to move to touch his cheek. "As you can see, I'm alive." He snapped. "What the hell, Gray –umf!" His words were muffled when the raven-haired teen forcefully grabbed his chin and sealed his mouth in a fiery kiss. His hands went to the taller teen's chest to push him away but Gray held him firmly against his body as he tugged at his pink hair and tilted his head so he could have better access to his mouth.

"Ngh…" Natsu moaned against Gray's mouth as the teen pulled him closer and deepened the kiss, their teeth clashing with each other for a moment there. He could feel his knees trembling as the kiss intensified.

The serious need for air made the two part. Panting heavily, Gray traced Natsu's lips with his thumb making the pinkette shiver again with want. He smiled. "You're really adorable, Natsu." He murmured.

That woke the pinkette up. With all the force he could muster, he pushed the raven-haired teen away. "Stop it! I hate you!" He shouted then he turned to the door. He was about to leave when Gray talked again, making him stop dead on his tracks.

"_Dear Gray, I know it's weird for a guy like me to say this but I like you. I really, really do. I don't know when it started but I just found out one day that I want to be with you always. I want to see you and touch you. I like you, Gray."_

Natsu stared at the smirking raven-haired teen in pure shock and terror. That was a long time ago, how did he…?

"You think I forgot already, Natsu?" Gray's voice cut off Natsu's train of thought. His smirk widened when the pinkette glared at him while blushing furiously. "Now, do as I say or I would tell the whole school that you wrote me a love letter and confessed to me back in junior high."

"Damn you!"

* * *

**Though NatGray is my Fairy Tail OTP now, LoLu comes second and I will not abandon my story about them. I still need a muse over that fic though. :)**

**This story is just an experiment if I could really write yaoi. I tried writing one under Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi but was told that it suck. Oh well. What do you think guys? Please read and review! Thanks! :)**

**~Koichii**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to all those who reviewed! To **Aneko-neko25, The mist of an angel, darkhuntressxir, 27CansOfTuna, Maria Rianki, danilion, MissLadyLuckless. **Thanks so much guys! You made my day. :)**

**Chapter 2 of Realize. Sorry for the late update.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.  
**

* * *

–**Realize–**

"Natsu-san, will you go –"

"Hey, Pinky, come." Before any of the two could react, Gray had dragged the pink-haired boy away from the brunette who approached him after class.

"What is it that you want?" Natsu snapped as he just let the raven-haired boy drag him away. "Didn't you see that Rei wanted to talk to me? Ever heard of _manners_?"

"My next class is Literature. Do my homework." Gray replied nonchalantly as if he didn't hear Natsu's rant. He tossed a black-covered notebook towards the pinkette as he sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall.

Natsu was dumbfounded. He looked around and realized that Gray had brought him to the rooftop without him knowing it. "What the hell, Gray?" He exclaimed as he turned back to the raven-haired boy who had his eyes closed.

Gray opened one dark eye and glanced up at the angry pinkette. "Remember our deal?" He smirked when Natsu blushed furiously.

"I… I d-didn't agree with you!" Natsu exclaimed angrily. Never in his life had he been flustered and angry at the same time.

"Okay then. I'll just tell everyone about _you_ confessing to _me_." Gray casually said as he closed his eyes again.

"Why are you doing this?"

There was something in Natsu's voice that made Gray open both of his eyes this time. He looked at the pinkette again and saw him blushing while looking away. "Natsu, look at me." He commanded but the younger boy refused to look at him. He stood up and approached the pinkette.

Two fingers went under Natsu's chin and forced him to look up at the face he both despised and like the most. "L-Let me go…" His protests died in his mouth the moment Gray's lips sealed his.

This time, the kiss was completely different from the kiss they had yesterday. It was a gentle kiss, as if Gray was careful not to hurt him. The raven's tongue gently licked the pinkette's lower lip as if asking for permission to enter which the latter allowed.

Gray's tongue plunged inside Natsu's hot cavern. The pinkette tasted too sweet for his own good. He didn't just look good, he taste good, too. No wonder there are so many girls and boys after him.

Then he groaned when Natsu's tongue met his own and the two began to duel, a fight over dominance, in which he won a few seconds later. His arm wrapped around the pinkette's waist and pulled him closer as he deepened the kiss.

The two parted due to desperate need for air. Gray leaned his forehead against Natsu's, a slow smile playing on his lips. "You still like me, Pinky, eh." He said teasingly.

Natsu froze when he heard Gray. Then suddenly, his fist swung and hit the surprised raven-haired teen on the jaw. "You're the most despicable creature I've ever met, Gray Fullbuster!" Then he ran away, leaving Gray who just stared at him while touching his bruised cheek.

* * *

Natsu was panting heavily when he left the rooftop. He saw an empty classroom and decided to go inside for he didn't feel like seeing anyone yet.

He slumped down into one corner of the room, pulling his knees close to his chest and hugging them tight while burying his face on his arms. He felt so stupid for giving in to Gray just like that and letting him play with him again.

"I hate him…" He mumbled to himself. He and Gray had known each other since they were kids and he had liked him since god knows when. He knew that Gray just saw him as a friend and that taking a step to forward his relationship with the raven-haired teen would be the end of their friendship, the end of his everything. So he kept his feelings hidden and forced himself to be contented with being as Gray's best friend.

His control was flawless until they reached junior high where Gray became one of the hottest and most famous student in their school. He had a string of girlfriends here and there which made Natsu jealous but he couldn't show it openly for it would mean that he had to tell Gray the truth.

He was sure that he would be able to contain himself until a girl named Juvia transferred to their school during their senior year. She instantly got smitten with Gray and she did everything just to be noticed by him. Gray, being the playboy he was, took the opportunity and just after a few days she became his girlfriend. Natsu thought that Juvia would just be another fling but he was proved wrong when Gray told him personally that he thought he loved Juvia.

Natsu, having being advised by his friend, Happy, to confess to Gray and take the risk, finally decided to tell the raven-haired teen everything. He planned to confess to Gray during the latter's birthday.

"_What is it, Natsu?"_

_The pinkette heaved a deep breath. "Well, you see..." He fidgeted while twirling his fingers as he looked down, face flushing hard. Never in his whole life had he been so nervous like this._

_An impatient tapping of the foot. "Come on, Natsu. Hurry up and spit it out. We don't have all day here."_

"_I..." Another fidget and a huge gulp. "I like you–"_

"_Gray-sama! Here you are." Juvia, who literally appeared out of nowhere, interrupted as she approached the two boys who were alone in the balcony. She threw a dirty look at Natsu before smiling sweetly at Gray. "Let's dance, Gray-sama." Then without any other word, she began to drag Gray back inside the ball room._

"_Natsu, let's talk later, okay?" Gray said as he glanced back at Natsu over his shoulder._

"_O-Okay…" Natsu said with a sad smile as he watched Gray and Juvia disappear._

After the failed attempt of confessing his feelings to his best friend, Natsu lost the courage to tell him personally. So what he did was to write a letter to Gray confessing all the pent up feelings he had for the raven-haired teen.

"_Dear Gray, I know it's weird for a guy like me to say this but I like you. I really, really do. I don't know when it started but I just found out one day that I want to be with you always. I want to see you and touch you. I like you, Gray."_

But something unexpected and horrible happened after he left the letter in Gray's locker. Instead of asking him personally about it, Gray had read the letter aloud in front of the whole class, humiliating and embarrassing the life out of Natsu.

_Gray smirked as he looked at the blushing pinkette. "I didn't know you like me that much, Natsu." He said._

"_I didn't know you're gay, Natsu." A boy of their class commented then he snickered along with a few others._

"_Though it suits you. You look so girly in the first place."_

"_Natsu, go out with me?"_

_Then the class, including Gray, burst out into laughter._

_Natsu felt tears blinding his vision when he looked up at Gray. Everyone, especially the raven-haired teen, got surprised when they saw it. "I hate you!" He shouted then he ran out of the classroom._

_A week later, Natsu Dragneel left Edolas and transferred to Magnolia._

"Why does he have to transfer here in Fairy Tail?" The pinkette muttered as he buried his face deeper into his arms. "He could have transferred to Lamia Scale or Sabertooth."

He stayed in that position for a few minutes more, thinking what to do with his current situation. Then he groaned in frustration when he couldn't think of any solution to his problem but to obey what Gray wanted or endure another humiliation. "God, this is hell."

* * *

"Natsu, what's the matter?" Lucy asked when she noticed Natsu was restless as they left Fairy Tail Academy that afternoon. It was only the two of them for Erza had a meeting with the student council while Loke had to go on an errand for his father.

"Huh?" Natsu flinched when he heard Lucy. "Ah, it's nothing, Lucy. I'm fine." He said.

Lucy narrowed her chocolate-brown orbs at the pinkette. He laughed nervously at her. "You began acting weird yesterday. When that Gray Fullbuster joined our class." She saw Natsu flinch which made her raise a suspicious eyebrow. "It has something to do with him." She stated. "What are you hiding from us, Natsu?" She asked Natsu who looked away guiltily. She sighed. "Come on, Natsu. I'm your best friend, right? You can tell me anything." She said in a warm motherly tone.

The pinkette was silent for a while, thinking of what to do. Then he came to a decision that he would tell Lucy everything for he knew he could trust her. He heaved a deep breath and stopped walking. The blonde girl stopped, too, and looked at him expectantly. "Lucy, I..."

"Pinky, let's go." Natsu stiffened and Lucy frowned when they both heard that familiar voice. They both looked up and saw Gray.

"What do you want from Natsu, huh?" Lucy demanded. If she had any doubts a while ago, now she's sure that this boy was the reason for Natsu's discomfort. And she wasn't Natsu's best friend for nothing. She wouldn't let this boy cause more discomfort to Natsu or worse, hurt him.

"I need him to do my homework." Gray replied casually as if it wasn't a big deal. He passed by them, completely ignoring the death glares Lucy was giving him. "It's getting late, Pinky. Come on."

"You, bastard!" Lucy yelled. "Natsu's not your servant, you lazy piece of shit. Stay away from him!"

"That I cannot do." The raven-haired teen smirked when Lucy got angrier. He could practically see steam coming out of her ears. Without any additional words, he walked away.

"Natsu," Lucy faced the pinkette who remained silent up until now. "You wouldn't follow him, would you?"

Natsu looked at Gray who was walking away and swallowed hard. Ever since, the image of Gray walking away was the hardest thing to bear. _Damn you, Natsu. I thought you got over him? _He mentally berated himself before turning back to Lucy. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I would tell you everything but please understand for now."

The plea in Natsu's large dark orbs was evident but there was something else in it that Lucy couldn't give a name to. She sighed again and nodded reluctantly. "Okay, fine. But just make sure that you'll be fine or else I would tell Erza and Loke about this." She smiled slightly when the pinkette nodded. "Don't worry, Natsu. I'm here for you. Tell me everything tomorrow, okay?"

"Thank you, Lucy." Natsu said with a smile then he went to follow Gray. He took a deep breath. All he have to do is to make Gray's homework, right?

* * *

**I suddenly thought to make this a rated M fic last night. Oh well. Just some thoughts. Not yet sure. Please read and review. Thanks, guys!**

**~Koichii :)  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**HSoft: This story made you blush? Thank you! :)**

**Guest: Maybe I will make this a rated M. Actually, I've been making a draft on that already. But I'm not sure yet. Anyway, if there will be a lemon, it will happen at the middle cause I think it's too early for them to be doing that now. Hehe... Thanks for the review!  
**

**darkhuntressxir: It will be explained why he's acting like that. Later. :D  
**

**DragonKnight61921: Nope. He isn't. :D  
**

**27CansOfTuna: Thanks! I'm not really that good at describing kissing scenes. Tsk. I'll try to make it better next time. Natsu is sort of hard to get, too.  
**

**Ana-chiaaan: Thanks! Many would hate Gray at the beginning because of his attitude. But it's just at the beginning. :)  
**

**I already have this and the fourth chapter ready. Still making the fifth and is thinking of making a lemon. Should I make it a rated M or not? Totally confused. This would be my first rated M if I did it. (p_q)  
**

**This chapter contains kissing scenes, too. :D  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

–**Realize–**

"Ngh… G-Gray! Stop –umf!" Natsu gasped as air was cut off his lungs when Gray assaulted his mouth again. His hands went to the raven-haired teen's shoulders and attempted to push him away.

But Gray wouldn't let him go. Without breaking the kiss, he was able to maneuver the pinkette from the single couch towards the bigger one. "You're so cute, Natsu." He whispered against the shorter boy's mouth before pushing him down the couch.

Natsu landed ungracefully onto the couch. The moment he felt the soft, velvety texture of the furniture beneath him, he tried to get up and escape from Gray but that proved to be futile because the raven moved faster than him and was able to pin him down with his own body. Before any words could come out of the pinkette's mouth, Gray dipped his head and sealed his mouth again, the kiss becoming harder and deeper this time.

Natsu felt his body getting hot as Gray's hands began to roam on his body. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling but it scared him. To feel such need for the person who hurted him was a very frightening one.

It was beyond his comprehension how he and Gray ended up tangled on the latter's couch. They barely spoke as he grudgingly did Gray's homework. It was only until he handed him the last one when the raven-haired teen grabbed him and began kissing him again.

And in the span of two days, Gray was able to assault him for three times already! Natsu, having that realization, pushed the raven-haired teen away with all the force he could muster and he ended on his butt on the floor. "This is sexual harassment!" He blurted out with a huge blush on his face.

Gray stared at the flustered pinkette for a moment then without any warning, he suddenly burst out laughing. Natsu pouted at him which he found adorable. "You're really something, Natsu Dragneel. You never fail to make me laugh." Natsu's blush deepened which made him smirk again. He stood up and dusted his pants off imaginary dirt. "It's already late. Let's have dinner." He glanced at his wrist watch which was showing that it was already eight in the evening.

"No, thanks. I'm going home." Natsu said as he turned to go but a hand clamped down his wrist which made him look back.

"Don't be stupid. You haven't eaten anything since lunch." Gray said, his voice and expression so serious. "I knew because I dragged you away during lunch time." He added when the pinkette gave him a skeptical look.

"T-That's not true. I ate snacks with Lucy." Natsu said.

"Humour me, Pinky." Natsu blushed which made Gray chuckle softly. He then grabbed the pink-haired boy's hand and dragged him to the kitchen. "What do you want to eat?" He asked as he raided his fridge. A string of curses left his mouth when he saw that it was empty except for several cans of beer and a bottle of cold water.

"You invited me to dinner but you didn't even have food." Natsu huffed. "Loser. I'll go home now."

"Okay, I forgot to shop but we could still eat outside." Then without any warning, he grabbed the pinkette's hand again and began to drag him outside.

"H-Hey, wait!" Natsu pulled away from Gray. He looked at the pinkette with a scowl on his handsome face. "Are you insane? Everyone would see us!"

"So what?" A smirk crept on Gray's lips again as he inched closer to the pouting Natsu. "Let them see."

"No way. I don't want to be seen with you in public. I hate you, remember?"

Gray scowled at that then he crossed his arms on his chest. "So what do you suggest then?"

"I go home and you go out to eat."

"No, that wouldn't do." He said. "What if we go to your house together and you make me dinner? This is an order, Pinky. Remember our deal?" He added with his trademark smirk when Natsu opened his mouth to protest.

"Damn you, Gray, I didn't have any deals with you."

* * *

"What are you making?" Gray asked as he looked over Natsu's shoulder down the steaming pot which the pinkette was busy stirring.

"Ramen…" Natsu grumbled before turning around only to blush when he realized that he and the raven-haired teen were so close together. "And stop peeping! Go back to the living room. I'll call you when it's ready."

"But I'm hungry." Gray whined.

"Shut up, Gray." Natsu hissed as he chopped carrots. "You would be able to eat sooner if you stop disturbing me."

"I know!" The raven-haired teen exclaimed as if he didn't hear Natsu. "I'll help you." Then he got another knife and dug out a carrot. "Will this one do? It looked like it's already old but I think we could still eat this if we cook it better." And without further ado, he began to chop the carrot in a frighteningly stealthy way.

Natsu paled when he looked at the carrot Gray was currently murdering. It was already rotten. "Idiot!" He yelled as he grabbed the knife away from the raven and glared at him. He looked at him baffled. "Why don't you find something to do on the living room?" He suggested as he pushed him out of the kitchen. "This wouldn't take long."

"Fine," Gray grumbled then he disappeared into the living room which made Natsu heave a sigh of relief.

After several minutes, the two boys were already settled on Natsu's kitchen. Gray watched Natsu eat heartily with amusement dancing in his eyes. "Heh..." He chuckled lightly which made the pinkette look at him in confusion.

"Wuf?" ("What?") Natsu asked, his mouth full of food. Gray noticed that he got a stain on the corner of his mouth.

The raven-haired teen reached out and wiped away the stain on the corner of the pinkette's mouth with his thumb. "You still haven't changed, eh. You're still that huge eater flame head that I know of." He said teasingly as he licked his thumb. Natsu blushed furiously.

"Shut up."

* * *

–_It's 6 o'clock in the morning. Wake up! Wake up!_

Natsu grumbled when he heard the annoyingly familiar sound of his alarm clock. With eyes still closed, he reached out to the direction where he could still hear the annoying sound. After 'neutralizing the enemy', he burrowed deeper onto the blanket and went back to sleep.

Or so he planned.

"Pinky, get up now. We'll be late for school."

"Five minutes..." He replied sleepily. He was quiet for a while then he realized that something's wrong. Who was that person talking?

Black eyes suddenly snapped open and he jumped out of bed when he saw Gray leaning against the door of his room, smirking and already on his uniform. "W-What... what the hell are you doing here?" He stammered, his heart beating wild just at the sight of the raven-haired teen.

Gray shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal for him. "I decided to check on you. I remember you were always late because you usually oversleep. And my memory's proven me right." His smirk widened when Natsu pouted at him. _Kawaii. _"Come on, take a bath. Or you want me to accompany you?" He teased.

Light blushes painted Natsu's cheeks which made Gray want to jump him right there and then. "H-How did you get inside? I locked the door." He asked as he went to the closet to find a clean uniform. After the dinner last night, Gray went home and he, instead of doing his homework, went to bed directly. Homework? "Oh, crap..." He cursed softly but enough for the raven-haired teen to hear him.

"Your door lock was so easy to bypass, Pinky." Gray replied, one eyebrow raised as he watched Natsu's expression. "Something the matter?" He asked, concerned.

"None of your business." The pinkette muttered as he grabbed his towel. He needed to move fast so he would still have time to do his homework. "Next time I would really appreciate it if you wait for me to let you in."

"Progress," Gray said which made Natsu stop in his track and looked at him questioningly. "You accept there's still next time." He smirked when the pinkette blushed.

"Shut up." Natsu growled then he went to the bathroom and slammed it shut so that Gray wouldn't be able to take a peek.

The moment the door of the bathroom closed behind Natsu, Gray looked around the room. His eyes then landed on the notebook lying open on the study table.

* * *

"Hurry up, Gray!"

"What's the rush, Pinky? We still have five minutes before the first class." Gray said in a bored tone as he walked behind the pink-haired teen who seemed to be in a hurry to go to school.

"That's the point. I only got five minutes to fin –" Natsu halted in his speech when he realized what he was about to say. "Just hurry up!"

"You were about to say something, Natsu. Continue it." Gray urged.

"It was just your imagination!" The pinkette exclaimed then he ran to the building where their classroom was located.

"Natsu, why are you breathless?" Lucy asked when she saw her pink-haired best friend panting while leaning against the door of their classroom. It was two minutes before the teacher would arrive.

"Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed as he lunged onto the blonde girl making her shriek. "Lend me your homework!" He added as he showed her teary puppy eyes while clutching her shoulders desperately.

Lucy was sweat dropped. If there was one thing that could be considered her weakness, it was teary puppy eyes. "S-Sure, but you have to hurry –"

"Good morning, class." The teacher, Mr. Gildarts, cut Lucy off when he went inside the room. Following him was a calm-looking Gray. "Natsu, what's the matter? You look pale. Are you sick? Maybe you should go to the clinic."

"I might as well..." The pinkette muttered under his breath as he went to his chair. Lucy looked at him worriedly. It's too late to let Natsu borrow her homework now. Mr. Gildarts would surely see it and have them both in detention. "Gomen, Natsu..."

"You alright?" Gray asked when he passed by Natsu to get to his seat. He saw how Natsu clung onto Lucy a while ago and he didn't like it. But his annoyance was easily extinguished when Gildarts mentioned that the pinkette was pale.

"I don't want to talk to you." Natsu grumbled making Gray raise an eyebrow at him. He turned away from the raven-haired teen and got his notebook. He'll try to make his homework as Mr. Gildarts checks the attendance.

Onyx eyes widened the moment he opened his notebook. Why, his homework was already finished! He turned to look back at Gray who was looking at him with a smug smile on his handsome face. "You're welcome, Pinky."

Natsu turned to face in front again so Gray wouldn't see the blush that spread on his cheeks. Gray did his homework. Maybe he did it when he was still at the shower. _Great, now I owe that ice-block. _He mused irritably but he couldn't help the warm feeling in his chest as his heart fluttered. "Bastard..."

* * *

**End of chapter three! Tell me what you think, guys. Please read and review. Sankyuu~! :)**

**~Koichii  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**I checked my email and saw lots of story favorites and follows on this story and I was taking a break from finishing something else so I decided to update. Tada! Haha I know it's been too long and I'm sorry for that. Gomen nasai!**

**But before we proceed to chapter 4 of Realize, I just want to thank these people for leaving a review after reading my fic: **darkhuntressxir, HSoft, Ly-Jane, twentysixaugust, 27CansOfTuna, AznAkatsuki, Zombie L, Guest, IvoryQueen, The Lollipop Assassin, CsillaDream, The Dark Crimson Blood, Doki-doki and Shining-Neon-Skies. **Arigatou gozaimasu minna-san! :3**

**I am really sorry for the delay! I just become busy with something and work. XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

–**Realize–**

"So, where's my prize?"

From looking at his bentou, Natsu looked up to see Gray's smirking face so close to him. Blushing furiously, he pushed the raven-haired teen away violently. "What the hell are you talking about, ice-block!" He yelled. Everybody in the cafeteria turned to look at him. He turned a shade brighter, if that was still possible.

"Kyaa! Natsu-san's so cute when he blushes!"

With sharp eyes, Gray turned to look at the girl who spoke. It was their classmate, Lisanna Strauss, a silver-haired girl who's got a huge crush on Natsu and doesn't even bother to hide it. He glared at her.

Lisanna saw it. But instead of being scared and turning away like the other students had done, she touched her eye and stuck her tongue out to Gray. The raven-haired teen scowled even more. "Bitch." He hissed under his breath.

"What were you saying!" Natsu snapped at him, his colour back to normal now.

"I said you're an idiot." Gray replied in a bored tone then he copped one ebi tempura from the pinkette's bentou.

"Hey!" Natsu protested as he tried to get back the ebi tempura that was already halfway into Gray's mouth.

"What's going on here?"

The pinkette and the raven both looked up and saw Lucy, Loke, Erza and Jellal standing in front of them with the boys holding trays filled with food. "What are you guys doing?" Lucy asked suspiciously at the two who were currently having a semi-brawling session. "Why are you hugging each other?" She added.

Realizing what Lucy has said, Natsu instantly pushed Gray away causing the raven-haired teen to fall on the floor. "W-We're not hugging!" He stuttered. "He got my ebi tempura!" Remembering his food, he tackled Gray before the latter could get up from the cold pavement.

"Stop it!" Erza bellowed. Natsu and Gray paled and swiftly parted when they heard the unspoken threat in the red-haired girl's voice. "No fighting at school."

"Yes, Ma'am!" The two teens shouted in unison. Then they both made way for Erza when she moved towards the table.

Lucy, Loke and Jellal who witnessed the scene were all sweat dropped. Even the newcomer Gray Fullbuster was scared of Erza Scarlet. "Remind me to not make her angry." Jellal whispered to Lucy and Loke who immediately nodded in agreement.

"So you're Gray Fullbuster." Erza said the moment they were all settled on the table. She sized up Gray as if it was the first time she'd seen him. "I'm Erza Scarlet. We're classmates and I'm also the president of the student council. Just a warning, I don't tolerate violence here." She finished, a dark aura surrounding her as she glared at Gray and Natsu.

"Lucky me she's not my girlfriend." Loke whispered which, unfortunately, Erza heard. He choked on his soda when she glared at him. Lucy was sweat dropped as she rubbed her boyfriend's back.

Jellal began to laugh but Erza silenced him with a cold look, too. He scratched his head then he wrapped an arm around her tiny waist and pulled her closer to him. "Honey, shouldn't we be eating lunch right now? Spare Natsu and Gray." He then turned to Gray. "Nice meeting you, Gray. I'm Jellal Fernandes." He then planted a kiss on Erza's cheek who in turn wrapped her arms around his neck. The young couple then went on becoming lovey-dovey.

Gray elbowed Natsu on the rib. "Are they always like that?" He asked the pinkette while motioning to Jellal and Erza who're currently feeding each other.

"Just don't mind them." Loke, who heard Gray, whispered back. Natsu and Lucy nodded in agreement. "Jellal did you two a favor." Natsu and Lucy nodded in unison again. "By the way, I'm Loke Cross. Nice to meet you, Gray." The strawberry blonde teen added with a grin on his handsome face.

"And I'm Lucy Heartfilia." Lucy interrupted. She looked seriously at Gray. This was the guy who had been making Natsu jumpy for the past few days. "I'm Natsu's best friend."

"You're that annoying girl." The raven-haired teen directly said which made Natsu and Loke flinch. _Uh-oh. He's in for real trouble. _The two thought as they slowly tried to fade into the background.

A nerve snapped on the blonde girl's forehead which made Loke and Natsu go pale. Lucy's a very sweet girl but when pissed, she can be as scary as Erza.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!"

And then the rest, as they say, was history.

* * *

"Damn, that girl sure was more violent that Erza." Gray muttered as he and Natsu were walking home that afternoon. After Gray's comment about Lucy being annoying, the blonde girl had gone berserk and began hitting him with everything she could take hold of. Fortunately, the raven-haired teen quickly escaped, dragging Natsu with him.

"That's because of what you said, thick-headed ice-block." Natsu grumbled.

"Now I see why you two are best friends. You two are the same, loud and annoying."

"Shut up, ice-block!" The pinkette yelled. "You're one to talk. You're even more anno –umf!" He was cut off by Gray's mouth sealing his. "Ngh…" He held onto the raven's shoulder as he pressed closer.

"Natsu…" Gray breathed when he released the pinkette's mouth. His hand tugged Natsu's pink hair and pulled his head back in a good angle. "…you're really irresistible." Then before Natsu could spit out curses and protests, he captured his mouth again.

Natsu winced when he was suddenly pinned by Gray against a brick wall. It would surely bruise later. But that was the least of his worries for now. "Ngh…" He moaned in the raven's mouth when he felt him press his knees in between his legs and began to grind against him. "G-Gray…" He managed to speak, though breathlessly, when he tore his mouth away from the raven.

Gray dipped his head and his mouth slid down towards Natsu's chin and ended on that sensitive spot on the pinkette's neck where he began to suck and bite him alternatively.

"G-Gray… ahh…" Natsu's cute moans filled the surroundings as Gray continued to ravish him. He held onto the raven's shoulder tight for he doesn't trust his knees to support him right now.

"What were you saying a while ago, Pinky?" Gray breathed against Natsu's neck thus making the pinkette shiver with need and longing.

Natsu, who's already blushing hard, looked up at him with those huge dark eyes. It took all of Gray's willpower to not rip off his clothes and take him right there and then. "I… I hate you…" He muttered.

Gray chuckled softly then he planted a kiss on Natsu's forehead. "You're so adorable, Pinky." He chuckled again when Natsu, whose cheeks are still pink, pouted at him.

"Baka…" Natsu snapped as Gray wrapped an arm around his shoulder and began to urge him to walk. "Take your arm off me, ice-block." He mumbled but didn't do anything about it.

"And what if I don't? What will you do?" Gray teasingly asked.

The pinkette pouted again at him. "Someone might see us."

"Let them watch." The raven replied nonchalantly, pulling Natsu closer to him. He turned his face towards the pinkette thus inhaling the strawberry-scented shampoo he used. _Smells good._ He mused whilst smiling to himself.

"Baka Gray…" Natsu muttered as he subconsciously snuggled closer to the warmth that was Gray, his cheeks still tinged with pink. He would never ever admit that he likes being close to the raven-haired teen like this. Never!

Unbeknownst to the two, Lucy, Loke, Erza and Jellal had seen them. The red-haired girl was about to follow Natsu and Gray and confront them but Jellal stopped her. "What?" She snapped at him.

"Let them be, Erza." The blue-haired teen said without letting go of Erza. He didn't even flinch when she glared at him.

"At least Natsu has someone right now." Lucy said softly. "Even with me, he always seem so alone."

"Yeah, we're all in pairs and Natsu's always left out." Loke agreed.

"But why that bastard?" Erza grumbled.

The three others grinned at Erza's question. They all knew that she's not against Natsu's preference, and they aren't, too. They knew she's just wary about Gray being a cold-hearted person and that.

"Honey, we can't really choose who we love." Jellal said. Erza glared at him even more. "What?" He asked innocently, not realizing what he just said. Lucy and Loke slowly began to back off when they saw Erza's murderous glare.

"Jellal Fernandes! What do you mean by that!"

* * *

"What's for dinner?"

"Why are you here again?" Natsu snapped without looking at Gray who was sitting behind the kitchen counter and watching him cook.

"I'm here for dinner." The raven-haired teen replied casually as he placed both of his hands behind his head. "I made your homework so you owe me." He smirked.

If glares could kill, Gray would have been long dead. Natsu hissed under his breath as he went back to stirring the pot of melted cheese and mushroom soup he was cooking. "I didn't ask you to do my homework and besides, it's _your _fault." Honestly, he's confused at the way Gray was acting. They didn't part in good terms during junior high. In fact, he just suddenly left Edolas without any parting word. So now, why was the raven-haired teen acting so chummy with him as if nothing happened? To top it all, why did he kiss him?

"-su…"

"Oy, Natsu!"

Startled, the pinkette jumped from where his standing, causing him to hit the pot containing the hot soup. It could have fallen on him had Gray not pulled him out of the way on time.

"Natsu, are you alright?" The pinkette then found himself facing a worried Gray who was checking him all over for any sign of injuries. The raven then pulled the still shocked Natsu in his arms and hugged him tight, as if not wanting to let go. "God, you scared me you, idiot. You're so careless." He said, slightly irritated. What almost happened a while gave him a fright. Even the thought of Natsu getting hurt had the air squeezed out of his lungs.

"Gomen…" Natsu mumbled, voice still shaking a little. After taking several deep breaths, he pushed himself off Gray. "I'm fine…"

Gray wasn't satisfied of it though. He suddenly scooped Natsu in his arms bridal style, surprising the pinkette. "No, you stay put at the living room. Let's just have a takeout tonight." He said as he marched towards the living room.

"But –"

"I said no." Gray firmly said which silenced Natsu. His eyes softened when he saw Natsu looking up at him curiously. "Stay here, okay? I'll just order and clean up the mess on the kitchen." He added, voice now soft, after placing the pinkette down the couch.

Natsu nodded timidly, his heart beating so fast at the care Gray was showing. "O-Okay…" When the raven-haired teen went back to the kitchen, he grabbed a throw pillow and buried his now red face in it. "Natsu, you baka…"

* * *

**That's the end of chapter 4! Hope you enjoyed it. :3**

**~Koichii**


	5. Chapter 5

**Watching anime again got me inspired to write! I finished 2 Bleach OVA, 1 Bleach movie (Diamond-Dust Rebellion) and finally, I was able to watch Fairy Tail! Yes, for the first time, I was able to watch the anime. Haha. And I admit, Gray is hotter in the anime than in the manga!**

**I especially went onto fangirling mode when he and Natsu were chasing Erigor from Eisenwald and he told latter "Don't die on me". Kyaaaaaaa! My Fairy Tail OTP! *hearts***

**So many NatGray moments during the Deliora Arc that I haven't noticed in the manga! Teehee~! :3**

**Thank you to those who reviewed chapter 4 of Realize: **darkhuntressxir, HSoft, Rikkai and hyotei lover, aggronlover, Shining-Neon-Skies, 27CansOfTuna, gabrielsangel23, SilverThineWolf, FoxAndTheHound98,** and **Lera. **Thank you so much! You guys make me want to write more! :D**

**P.S. I need a favor guys. I made my own fan page in Facebook. If you have time to log in, please do like it. I would really appreciate it. The name's Koichii. Arigatou~! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

–**Realize–**

_**Natsu's POV:**_

"_Huh? Where am I?" I wondered aloud when I found myself in a strangely familiar place the moment I opened my eyes. It was a favorite place from my past and as I look at it, it still hasn't changed. Even a bit. The same Cherry Blossom trees surrounding it, the swings, and even the way it looked when covered by snow. Wait, snow?_

_I raised an eyebrow when it finally registered in my mind that the whole park was covered in snow. It's not winter yet and it was too hot that morning. Maybe it's that climate change again. Or maybe... wait again! This park is in Edolas! What the hell am I doing here? I was just at my apartment in Magnolia a while ago... right?_

_I sighed and just stopped from analyzing what's going on. Thinking too much hurts my head. I heaved another deep breath and laid down on the ground blanketed by the snow. I looked at my surroundings again. I really hate the cold and anything that relates to it but why do I feel so comfortable right now?_

_Then as I turn my gaze to the grayish-white sky, it began to snow. I knew I should be leaving now and take some shelter but I just stayed there, gazing with awe as snowflakes fell on me. One landed on my forehead and I closed my eyes at the contact, preparing for the cold to invade my body. But it felt weird._

_Then another snowflake landed on my nose, on both of my cheeks and on my lips. This is really weird. Why do the snowflakes felt so warm?_

_**End of POV**_

"Hn…" Natsu opened his eyes and saw the familiar outline of the living room in his apartment. _A dream? _He sleepily mused when he realized that he was lying down the couch. Empty boxes of the pizza they had for dinner a while ago lay there on the coffee table._So I fell asleep huh. _He was about to get up but couldn't do so. That was when he noticed the arm wrapped around his waist and the body pressing against him from behind. "What…"

"Shut up, Pinky." Gray mumbled, his breath tickling Natsu's ear which made the latter to shiver involuntarily. He smirked. "Go back to sleep." He commanded as he pulled the pinkette closer to him and tucked him under his chin.

Not fully understanding what was happening, Natsu turned around and became face to face with Gray's bare chest. "Why are we here?" He asked in a sleepy voice as he unconsciously snuggled closer to the raven-haired teen. Letting out a comfortable sigh, he closed his eyes again and let himself melt into the warmth that was Gray.

"You fell asleep after dinner." Gray replied, getting amused at the way Natsu was acting. Honestly, he was surprised when the pinkette snuggled closer into him instead of pulling away. _He's still disoriented from sleep. _He mused but nevertheless, he took that opportunity to cuddle Natsu. "And I guess I fell asleep, too."

"Ah, okay." Natsu murmured as he was slowly being pulled to dreamland again. If only this would happen every night. For sure, he would be very comfortable in his sleep. _Gray's got nice arms huh._ He mused. _It feels good to lie on them and have them around me._He smiled a bit at the thought.

Wait…

He. In. Gray's. Arms.

What the fucking hell?

"W-What… What are you doing!" Natsu hissed, finally realizing what was going on. He's in Gray's arms, the raven-haired teen was topless and the two of them are cuddling on his couch! With his cheeks flaming, he began his unending vain attempts to get away from the raven-haired teen."Let me go, droopy eyes!"

"No," Gray refused in a casual voice as his arm tightened around Natsu's waist. "I'm tired, Pinky. Why don't you give it a rest?" He asked with a yawn then he buried his face on the pinkette's hair. "For a boy, your hair's so soft." He murmured as he sniffed on the pink locks. "And you smell like strawberries."

Natsu's cheeks flamed up even more at Gray's last statement. "B-Baka!" He yelled. He grabbed the throw pillow he saw a while ago and hit Gray square on the face. He then instantly got up and began running towards his room upstairs.

Unfortunately for Natsu, Gray was fast. He swiftly and easily grabbed the shorter boy by the waist and hauled him on his shoulder. "Think you could escape me, ne?" He asked with a smirk as he began to ascend the stairs.

"Put me down, Gray!" Natsu yelled. He balled his fists and attempted to punch Gray on the jaw.

But Gray was able to dodge his attack this time though he wasn't able to keep his balance and the two of them went toppling down the stairs.

"Stupid, look at what happened." Gray muttered as he sat up while rubbing his head. "You alright?" He asked as he looked at the pinkette who was on his lap, rubbing his own head as well. Then his dark orbs widened.

"I told you to let go of –Oi!" Natsu exclaimed in surprise when Gray suddenly grabbed him and pulled him closer. "Hey –umf!" He wasn't able to finish what he was saying when the raven's mouth came crashing down on his. "Hn…"

Gray could feel Natsu squirming from his hold so he wrapped his left arm around the pinkette's waist while his right hand cupped his chin so he could have a better angle of his mouth. The raven then licked the pinkette's lower lip as if asking for permission which the latter allowed.

When he saw the expression on Natsu's face a while ago, every restraint Gray had in him snapped. Natsu looked so cute with one eye closed, panting and the colour pink dusting his cheeks. And the contact of their bodies didn't help the situation either. So there, at the foot of the stairs, Gray's control snapped.

Natsu's eyes flew open when he felt his back touch the bed. It was then he realized that during their heated kiss, Gray had managed to bring him to his room. "Gray –" He began but he was cut off when Gray sealed his lips again.

Gray's kisses went from gentle to rough. His hands had also begun to wander on Natsu's body, ending under the pinkette's shirt. He heard Natsu gasp when his hand came into contact with the pinkette's now sensitive nipple. "Natsu…" He breathed as he licked the sensitive spot on the pinkette's neck. "You're so cute." Then without any warning, he pulled Natsu's shirt off him and attacked his nipples with his mouth.

"Ngh!" Natsu mewled when he felt Gray's hot mouth on his hardened nub. "G-Gray…" His breath came out short when the raven used his tongue to tease his nipples alternately. "S-Stop it…" He breathed, all the while tugging Gray's hair in wanton.

"You really want me to stop, Pinky?" Gray asked. He smirked when Natsu blushed beneath him. "You really are cute." He murmured then he dipped his head and nibbled on the pinkette's lips that are already swollen from kissing.

"I really hate you, Gray." Natsu hissed, his cheeks flaming. Then his body arched and he moaned oh-so-sinfully when the raven pressed him even more to the bed with his own body thus leaving no space between them. And he could feel Gray's hard-on against his stomach. "P-Pervert!" He hissed.

"I'm a pervert only for you, Pinky." Gray replied with a smirk which caused Natsu to blush even more. He chuckled then in one swift move, he was able to pin the pinkette's arms above his head using his right hand. Then using his left, he cupped Natsu's cheek and sealed his mouth again in a fiery kiss while beginning to grind against him.

"Ngh…!" Natsu could feel himself getting hotter as Gray went on ravishing him. This is the first time that he felt something like this to someone. He felt like he could easily give everything to Gray if the raven would ask him to. He wanted Gray so much that he would give and do everything for him. No, scratch that. He _needed _him.

And he couldn't lie to himself about that fact.

Gray gave a start when Natsu suddenly broke free from his hold. But before he could do or say anything, the pinkette's arms came around him and pulled him in for a hug. "Natsu?" He wondered curiously and feeling absolutely warm inside for having Natsu initiate the contact between them.

"_I love you, Gray…"_

* * *

"Ohayou, Natsu!" Lucy greeted cheerfully when she and Loke met the pinkette at the school gate the next day.

"Ohayou, Lucy, Loke..." Natsu replied in a small voice which made the blonde girl raise an eyebrow.

"What's the matter, Natsu? Are you ill?" Lucy asked concernedly. Natsu usually has a very high spirit and positive aura which are very contagious to the people surrounding him. But today, he seemed to lack of energy. "And why are you limping?" She added when she noticed how her best friend was walking. Like he had an injury on the lower part of his body or something.

Natsu, upon hearing Lucy's question, blushed slightly. Loke raised an eyebrow at the pinkette's reaction. "N-Ne... I hit my knee on the door when I was running out of the house." He lied. He surely couldn't tell Lucy the real reason why he's limping today. She surely wouldn't understand.

The blonde girl shook her head then she sighed. "Really, you should be more careful with your actions, Natsu."

"Where's Gray?" Loke asked while looking around for the raven-haired teen. It was the first time in a week that he saw Natsu without Gray around him.

"H-How should I know?" The tinge on Natsu's cheeks darkened as he looked away from Loke's teasing eyes. _Shit. He knows something. But how? _"I'm not his keeper."

"Oh, there he is." Lucy said as she pointed at someone who just entered the campus. Natsu and Loke turned around and they saw Gray walking alongside Erza and Jellal. "Ohayou, minna!" The blonde girl greeted them the moment they got near.

"Ohayou, Lucy. Loke, Natsu." Erza returned the greeting while Jellal just grinned at them. "Jellal and I will go ahead. We're having an emergency meeting this morning. See you at class." She said then accepting the hand Jellal offered, the two of them disappeared down the path leading to the student council's office.

"Let's go to class then!" Lucy exclaimed. Natsu, Loke and Gray nodded then the four of them began to walk to their classroom.

Natsu refused to look at Gray as they walked side by side. He turned his head to the other side pretending to look at the dozen Cherry Blossom trees lined up on the path. He couldn't bear to look straight at the raven-haired teen after what happened between them last night.

"Are you really alright, Natsu? You look like you're really having a difficult time walking." Lucy said in that worried voice of hers again. "I think you should go to the clinic and have your knee checked."

"Something wrong with your knee, Pinky?" Gray asked when he heard Lucy. However, a frown showed on his face when Natsu didn't even bother to look at him. "Hey! Haven't you heard me?"

"I-I'm fine. Stop bugging me." The pinkette growled as he followed Lucy inside the classroom, leaving a still frowning Gray and a grinning Loke on the corridor.

"It's really a pain in the ass." The strawberry-blonde teen said while patting Gray's shoulder. He grinned at the raven who looked at him in with a raised eyebrow. "Everything will be fine, Gray." He then followed Natsu and Lucy inside the classroom.

Gray shook his head as he followed his friends. He saw Natsu sulking on his seat and looking outside the window, ignoring the noise their classmates were making. The pinkette looked up when he entered the classroom and their eyes met. The raven got amused when Natsu began to blush furiously. "Heh…" He then approached the blushing pinkette. "Ne, Pinky, what's wrong?"

"D-Don't talk to me!" Natsu yelled then he looked away from Gray while blushing furiously the whole time. Whenever he would see the raven, he would be reminded of what happened between them last night. _Baka._

Gray smirked as he leaned closer to Natsu. "Did I hurt you last night?" He breathed onto the pinkette's ear which had him freezing. "I'm sorry. Promise, I'll be gentle next time." He leaned even closer to the pinkette and licked his earlobe which made him shiver involuntarily. "You're really cute, Natsu." Then with that, he went to his seat.

"I'll kill you, ice-block!" Natsu hissed. His heart was pounding so loud that he thought it would burst any second. He glared at the raven who was smirking at him from his seat. "I hate you."

"No, you don't. You love me." The raven-haired teen winked at Natsu which made him blush once more. "You said so last night."

"Noooooo!"

* * *

"Damn that Gray…" Natsu grumbled as he half-walked, half-limped on the street towards home that afternoon. He was able to leave school alone because after class, Erza suddenly dragged Gray out of the classroom to God knows where. "I wonder what Erza wants with him." He mumbled as an afterthought as he made his way through the busy street of Magnolia.

"Hey, look out!"

"Huh?" Natsu looked up at the sound of the voice and his eyes widened when instead of seeing a person, a flying soccer ball was headed towards him so fast that he wouldn't have the time to dodge it.

But a pair of strong arms grabbed Natsu seconds before the ball could hit him. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah." Natsu, who was still a bit shocked, replied as he looked up at the one who saved him. It was a guy with spiky white hair and squinty eyes and he was looking at him with a weird expression. "Err… thank you?"

Said guy blinked several when he heard Natsu's voice then he blushed. _For a guy, he's so cute! _"I-It's nothing. By the way, I'm Lyon Bastia. And you are?"

"Oh, I'm Natsu Dragneel." The pinkette replied with a huge grin on his face. "Nice to meet you, Lyon-san and thank you again." He was about to leave when Lyon suddenly held his arm. "Eh?"

Lyon, realizing what he'd done, blushed again and pulled his hand off Natsu's arm. "Ah, Natsu… would you go out with me?" His eyes widened when he realized what he just said. "Ah, I mean, I know a good café with delicious pastries. I'll treat you."

"Pastries?" Natsu practically drooled at the mention of food that he paid no attention to Lyon's slip of the tongue a while ago. "Let's go!"

Lyon heaved a breath of relief. He really thought that Natsu's going to turn him down especially because they just met for only a few minutes. _He is really cute. _"I think I'm in love."

* * *

**Yay! Finished chapter 5! Hahaha! I couldn't think of any love triangle for Natsu and Gray but Lyon since he and Gray are pretty good rivals, too. Lol. Read & review guys!**

**~Koichii**


	6. Chapter 6

**And I was trying to finish my other fics aside from this but then I found out I don't have any interests (for now) in writing fics that isn't yaoi, or NatGray in particular. So I spent Christmas finishing chapters 6 and 7 of this fic. Oh well. :3**

**My deepest gratitude, once more, to those who gave their reviews/comments:** darkhuntressxir, Guest, Jarmana, 27CansOfTuna, NephoPhobia, gratsuisthebest **(hey! I totally agree with you! teehee~)**, Rikkai and hyotei lover, **and **Shining-Neon-Skies. **Thank you for the review/comment and a happy holiday guys! :)**

**On to the story! Flames are accepted. Will be fed to this adorable fire dragon slayer. Teehee~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. If I did, Natsu would surely end up with Gray and Mystogan and Erza Knightwalker will end up together, too!**

* * *

–**Realize–**

"Why are you here, Lyon?" Gray asked with a scowl as he sat across his white-haired cousin. They're currently at the most expensive restaurant in Magnolia where Lyon invited Gray for dinner.

"Relax, Gray. Ur doesn't know I'm here or you're here, for that matter. Though it would only be a matter of time when she'll find out. I'm just here because of some school activity." Lyon explained. "I'll be here for two weeks."

The raven-haired teen's scowl deepened. "You're not welcome in my apartment." Of course he didn't really mean that. He likes Lyon, even more than his own bitchy sister, Ultear. But he couldn't let his cousin stay with him because he had plans of luring Natsu again there. Lyon would just be a hindrance. If only he knew.

Lyon chuckled when he heard Gray. "Just as I expected. Don't worry, we have accommodations. The school made sure of that. I just wanted to hang out with you while I'm here, Gray. And maybe ask your opinion about something."

Gray's eyebrow rose. "Opinion about what?"

"Love," Lyon replied without blinking. "I think I'm in love. With a guy."

"WHAT!" The raven-haired teen almost fell off his chair. So he's not the only gay in the family? "Since when?"

"Just this afternoon." Lyon then told him everything about what happened that afternoon except for Natsu's name. "I need your help, too. He's wearing the uniform of Fairy Tail Academy. Maybe you know him."

"What's his name?"

"I won't tell you. You might tell him before I can make my move." Lyon replied.

"Tch. Do you think I'm that petty?" Gray snapped but his mind was already running. Who was Lyon referring to? He's really curious. That guy, whoever he is, must be really attractive for Lyon to be hooked up so easily. "Wait, are you alright with being gay?" Before this talk, he'd known Lyon as a playboy. He has strings of girlfriends following him everywhere.

The white-haired teen shrugged. "Nope. Should I be?"

Gray shook his head. "It really doesn't matter who you love. Whether it's a boy or a girl. The important thing is you love." He said, all the while he's seeing a certain pinkette in his head.

Lyon stared at him in complete silence for a moment then he burst out laughing. The people nearby began to look at them in confusion. "I never thought you said that, Gray! You're so funny!" He exclaimed in between his laughter.

"Shut up, Lyon." Gray hissed, faint blushes painting his cheeks. He really was sappy huh? _What the hell. _"You're the one who asked for my opinion, you bastard."

"Sorry, sorry. I wasn't expecting that." Lyon said as he tried to stop his laughter. "Tell me Gray, are you in love, too?" He asked when he recovered. "You seem to have spoken those words from the heart."

Gray scowled at the question. "It's none of your business." He snapped then he stood up. "I'm going ahead. I still have homework to do. You're paying." He then turned to go. He was just able to take three steps when Lyon spoke again.

"I'll visit you at Fairy Tail Academy one of these days, Gray. Help me find my destiny."

"You've turned really sappy, Lyon."

Lyon chuckled amusedly. "You will if you're in love."

"Sure, whatever." The raven shrugged then with that, he left the restaurant.

When Gray was gone, a pretty girl with long black hair stood up from her seat at the corner of the restaurant and went over to join Lyon. "So?"

"You're right, Ultear. Gray's here because of that person from junior high. It's clear from his behaviour." Lyon said then he stared at the girl. "Should we tell Ur about this?"

"No, don't. I wanna watch Gray patch things up with that person." Ultear replied. "My baby brother sure has matured." She snickered.

"You're planning something." It wasn't a question but a statement.

Ultear just shrugged then she smiled at Lyon. "Who knows? Maybe."

* * *

"This is really hard." Natsu groaned while resting his head on the kitchen table. He and Lucy were doing their Math homework in his house and his head's already pounding at the numbers he was seeing. "Why do we have to study Math? I don't see the use of Calculus in my life." He went on complaining.

"Math is useful, Natsu." Lucy replied patiently. Natsu is an intelligent kid but he just suck at Math. "Studying Math and solving Math problems help you become more rational in your decisions."

Natsu pouted at his blonde best friend. "Can I just copy your homework, ne, Lucy?"

"No way!" Lucy immediately exclaimed as she grabbed her notebook far from the pinkette's reach.

"Eh! Lucy, how selfish!" Natsu grumbled then he looked at her with teary puppy eyes. "Pleeeaaassseee?"

Lucy paled a bit. One of her weakness was Natsu's teary puppy eyes. She just couldn't say no to him if he does something like this. The pinkette knew about it and he's using that advantage over her now. "N-Natsu… you're playing dirty." She complained while squinting her eyes close. The pinkette is really adorable. "You should do your own homework, you know. You wouldn't learn with that. I can teach you, if you want."

Natsu pouted but he couldn't deny that Lucy's got a point. He sighed. "Fine, then." Lucy smiled then they both resumed to doing their homework.

A few minutes passed and Lucy spoke again. "Hey Natsu, I have a question. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"What is it?" Natsu asked, tilting his head to the side. "It better not be about Math!"

The blonde was sweat dropped. "No, no. It's not about Math. It's about Gray." She saw Natsu stiffen at the mention of the raven-haired teen's name. "Are you two… err… dating?"

Natsu's face flamed up at Lucy's blunt question. "W-What… What made you ask that?"

Lucy twirled her fingers together, faint blushes tinted her cheeks. "Err… we -and I mean Loke, Erza, Jellal and I -saw you and Gray the other day. You two were…" The blonde's face went redder that it matched up to Natsu's. "…kissing."

"Eh!" Natsu felt his face heating up even more that he thought he would just suddenly combust on the spot. "No! We're not dating!" He vehemently denied and his heart ached at that.

"But –"

The pinkette sighed. "It's really complicated but I think you need to know." He told his blonde best friend. "Well, you see…"

* * *

Natsu's apartment was all dark and quiet when Gray arrived two hours later. _He sleeps early huh. _He mused as he opened the little gate separating the house from the street. He would just let himself in. If he remembered it right, Natsu usually hides the spare key under the fifth rock near the bush by the right side.

The raven let out a smirk when he found exactly what he was looking for. "Heh, that idiot is too predictable, really." He muttered as he made his way inside the house.

As expected, the living room and the kitchen were empty so Gray went up to the second floor, directly to Natsu's bedroom. His cold, blank expression then turned into a scowl when he saw that the bedroom was empty, too.

Gray felt the first wave of panic hit him after making sure that the pinkette really wasn't anywhere in the house. "Damn, where could he be? He better not be kidnapped." He grumbled as he stormed towards the door. But before he could even touch the door knob, the door swung open, almost hitting him in the face had he not took a step back quickly.

"What the hell are you doing in my house, ice-block?"

Relief, so exquisite it was nearly pain, washed through Gray the moment he heard Natsu's familiar, yet clearly irritated, voice. Without any warning, he grabbed the smaller boy's wrist and pulled him in for a hug.

"Dammit, Gray! W-What are you doing, bastard!" Natsu exclaimed, his cheeks flaming at the sudden contact between him and the raven-haired teen.

"Where have you been? I was worried." Gray said without letting Natsu go. True, he was close to going berserk a while ago had Natsu not arrived. Morbid thoughts about what could have happened to the pinkette ran through his head.

"Eh? I just walked Lucy home." Natsu replied, beginning to forget that he was still in Gray's arms. "I got hungry on the way back here so I stopped at a ramen shop."

"You could've called."

Natsu's brows furrowed at that. "And why would I do that? You're not my dad!"

"No, I'm not and thank heavens for that. But I'm your boyfriend. You should've at least informed me."

"Yeah, yeah, right –WHAT!" Natsu blushed madly again when he realized what Gray had just said. He pushed the raven away from him. "You're not my boyfriend!"

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Oh? After what we did last night?" He smirked when Natsu turned shades brighter.

"It doesn't mean anything!" Natsu yelled, not meeting the taller boy's eyes.

A scowl showed on Gray's face again. Then he smirked coldly. "Then I'll just have to make sure everyone knows you're mine, ne?"

Natsu gulped loudly as Gray began to walk towards him. He slowly backed away from the raven-haired teen who was looking at him with a predatory smirk. Then he groaned loudly when he felt his back touch the wall. _Bugger._

Gray grinned wickedly when he saw that Natsu's trapped in between him and the wall. He leaned closer to the pinkette, watched as his face flush a deeper shade of red. "Natsuuuuu…" He purred on the younger boy's ear, his breath tickling him. "You're mine, get it?"

"_I never thought you're gay, Natsu!"_

"_The colour pink suits you then!"_

"_Natsu, would you go out with me?"_

"_HAHAHAHAHA!"_

With all the strength he could muster, Natsu pushed Gray away from him. Memories of what happened back in junior high suddenly went back to him. The humiliation, the pain and the broken heart he had to endure back then –it all went back to him in one drop. "I'm tired. I want to sleep." He said in a low voice without looking at the raven-haired teen in front of him. "Lock the door when you leave." He then turned to go but Gray held his arm to stop him.

Gray cupped the pinkette's chin to make him look up at him. He got surprised when he didn't see any hint of irritation or annoyance in the younger boy's expression. Actually, his face didn't give any expression at all. It was completely blank, with his eyes glazed over. "Natsu…"

"Just leave, Gray." Natsu's emotionless voice plus his equally emotionless face, was enough to rip something in Gray's heart. Then without waiting for the raven's reply, he pushed off and slowly began his way to his room, leaving Gray, who just stared at him, at the living room.

* * *

"Good morning, Natsu!" Lucy greeted with a soft smile when Natsu entered the classroom that morning. "Ah, you okay?" She asked when she noticed the dark circles under the pinkette's eyes.

Natsu yawned for a moment before answering his blonde best friend. "I haven't got much sleep last night." He grumbled then frowned when he remembered the reason for it.

Lucy was about to say something again when Erza arrived with Jellal, Loke and Gray behind him. Natsu turned his eyes away from the raven-haired teen who raised an eyebrow. "Everyone's here. Good!" She said then she went in front of the class while the three boys went to take their seats. "As you can see, it's the Christmas holidays so the student council, along with the administration, decided to have one day off –we will be having a Christmas festival." The students gave a cheer of joy at that announcement. "Booths and different games will be present in one whole day and there will be fireworks display at night."

"When will it be, Erza?" A blue-haired girl named Levy asked.

"It will be before the start of Christmas vacation so it will be three days from now." The red-haired girl replied. She then crossed her arms on her chest. "Every class should have a booth. Any suggestion to what our class should do?"

"Maid café!" Loke piped up. "I want to see Lucy in a maid outfit." A blushing Lucy hit him at the back of the head. He grinned.

"Yeah, I agree with Loke." Jellal, who had a mischievous grin on his handsome face, said. He winked at Erza who frowned at him while blushing slightly.

"Any other suggestions?" Erza asked as she looked around the classroom. She's totally on the idea of having a maid café. She could have the chance to wear those cute maid outfits. Secretly, Erza Scarlet loves cosplaying and the only person who knew about it is her boyfriend, Jellal.

"I'm with the maid café!" A long-haired boy with lots of metal accessories on his body, exclaimed, his mind imagining the blue-haired girl beside him wearing a maid uniform. "Gihihi…" Levy looked suspiciously at him.

"Everyone okay with the maid café?" Erza asked. She smiled when everyone nodded. "So, we need maids, people who'll prepare the food, people who'll prepare the costume and the setting." She got a chalk and began to write on the board. "Let's decide who will play the part of who." Then with that, everyone went on deciding for their booth.

* * *

After a full hour of deliberation, the class had finally decided what each would do for the upcoming Christmas festival. Everyone was happy with their roles. Well, except for one pink-haired student.

"WHY THE HELL AM I GOING TO BE A MAID!" Natsu yelled, going berserk at the thought that he was chosen by his classmates as one of the maids in the maid café they'll be having along with Lucy, Erza, Levy and Cana. "I'm not a girl, dammit!"

"You're feminine, Natsu." Lucy said. "And you look so cute!" She and Levy giggled together.

"Plus your pink hair makes you look all feminine." Loke said with a grin.

"I can't wait to see you in a maid outfit, Natsu!" Mirajane chimed in. She's the one who'll be making and providing the outfits along with her sister Lisanna. "I promise I'll make your outfit very pretty."

"I can't wait to see him in a maid outfit, too." Gray said which made Natsu frown at him. He grinned at the flustered pinkette. He's one of those chosen to play the role of butlers. Actually, the class decided to have a maid and butler café instead. So as a result, the butlers would be Gray, Loke, Jellal, and Gajeel.

The scowl on Natsu's face deepened but instead of throwing a snide remark back at Gray, he just turned on his heel and walked away.

"What's the matter with Natsu?" Jellal asked. "He's too quiet today."

Gray frowned, too. He had a feeling that it has something to do with last night. He couldn't really pinpoint the reason why Natsu acted cold last night but he didn't like it. The blank look on his face and the lifeless voice, it was out of character for Natsu.

He was suddenly pulled out of his musings when Erza yanked him by the collar. "What did you do to him?" She hissed. She purposely lowered her voice so that only the ones close to her –namely Lucy, Jellal and Loke –could hear it.

"I didn't do anything." Gray replied in an irritated tone. He knew Erza doesn't trust him around Natsu. She made it clear to him yesterday when she suddenly dragged him out of the classroom after dismissal. He knew she's just protective of Natsu and he's thankful that the pinkette's got friends like Erza, Lucy, Jellal and Loke but now, Erza's protectiveness just irritated him. "Don't just go accusing people around." He snapped which surprised Lucy, Jellal and Loke. Someone actually dared to snap at the scary Erza. Then without waiting for anyone to speak, he left the classroom to follow Natsu.

"Darling, you alright?" Jellal asked his girlfriend who was frowning at the door as if it was Gray Fullbuster.

"I know he did something for Natsu to act like that." The red-haired girl muttered.

"Maybe but not really…" Lucy timidly said which made the other three to look at her. "Err… I mean…"

"Explain it, Lucy." Erza said. Lucy gulped nervously then she nodded.

"Well, Natsu told me about his and Gray's past last night and it goes like this…"

* * *

**And that was chapter 6! I saw a picture of Tsuna in a maid outfit so I thought, why not try it on Natsu, too? Teehee~ Please read and review! Thanks! :)**

**~Koichii**


	7. Chapter 7

**darkhuntressxir: Erza would prolly kill him? Let's hope not. Hehehe... and yes, Natsu will look good in a maid outfit though I couldn't find a picture of him on the internet wearing one.**

**27CansOfTuna: This chapter will have a short NatGray moment. Hehehe**

**CsillaDream: I know Sting but I just couldn't see him and Natsu in a romantic way. Hehehehe... and Lyon has some sort of rivalry with Gray so I decided to use him for my love triangle here. Yes, Lyon's a fan of love at first sights. XD**

**Shining-Neon-Skies: Don't worry, everybody will be supportive of the relationship though not clearly stated yet. I'm still having trouble deciding if I should make Ultear a villain or not. We'll just see. :D**

**Thank you for leaving a review, guys! I really appreciate it. And because it's the holidays and I'm not doing anything besides surf the net, I decided to make chapter 7 of Realize. Here it is! Some NatsuxxLyon moments here, too!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Though I would love to. Hahahaha!**

* * *

–**Realize–**

"_Wait for me, Gray!" A panting Natsu yelled as he tried to catch up to his raven-haired best friend who was running ahead of him._

"_You're too slow, Pinky!" The seven-year-old Gray yelled back with a laugh. Then he suddenly stopped which caused Natsu to bump into his back._

"_Why did you suddenly stop, you ice-block!" The pinkette exclaimed as he rubbed his nose. "Wah!" He gasped in surprise when Gray pulled him down without warning. "What –"_

"_Sshh..." The raven-haired boy hissed as he covered the smaller boy's mouth with his hand. "Look at that." He pointed at something at the garden beyond the bush they were currently hiding._

_Natsu turned to look at the thing Gray was motioning to then he frowned in confusion. "So? It's just Ultear and a guy." He said, matter-of-factly._

"_No, stupid. That guy is her boyfriend." Gray muttered, his hand unconsciously sliding down from Natsu's mouth towards his shoulder, all the while his eyes kept trained on his older sister who was being lovey-dovey with her boyfriend._

"_B-Boy... Boyfriend?" The pinkette repeated in an innocent tone. "What's that?"_

_Gray face-palmed himself when he realized that Natsu's innocent at things like this. "Boyfriend... the guy Ultear likes or loves as more than a friend." He said, trying to explain the concept in the simplest way possible. "You know, the one you want to spend your whole life with."_

"_Really? So you're my boyfriend, Gray?" Natsu asked innocently. "Because I like you more than a friend and I want to be with you forever." With that, he gave the raven-haired boy a cute smile._

"_What!" Gray exclaimed, his cheeks flushing brightly when he saw the smile on Natsu's face. _Kawaii... _He mused. Then he shook his head at the absurdity of his thoughts. "We're both boys. We couldn't be like that. A boy is only for a girl and vice versa."_

_Natsu frowned at that. "Who's the idiot who made that rule? I think it's not important if the one you love is a boy or a girl. I think the most important thing is that you love a person regardless of who or what he or she is."_

_Gray was silent as he stared at his pink-haired best friend for a moment. Then he broke into a genuine smile. "Yeah, you're right." He agreed then he pulled Natsu into a hug. "I like you more than a friend, too, Natsu."_

Feeling something liquid dropping on his cheek, Natsu opened his eyes and looked up at the cerulean sky. He sighed as he wiped away the lone tear that fell down his cheek while sitting up. _Just a dream. _Why did he have to remember that? "Stupid ice-block..." He muttered under his breath.

"Natsu-chan?" A somewhat familiar voice called which made Natsu look up. Standing a few feet away from him was his new-found friend, Lyon. He smiled. "What are you doing here at the park?" He asked as he went closer.

"Oh, it's you, Lyon-san." Natsu said. He grinned at the white-haired guy who blushed. "I don't know why I got here at the park. I even fell asleep on this bench."

Lyon was sweat dropped. "You should be careful, Natsu-chan. Some pervert might take advantage of you while you're unaware." He said. _Because you're too cute. Anyone would surely fall for you._

Natsu gave Lyon another cute smile which had the latter's heart doing somersaults. "Thank you, Lyon-san."

"Anything for you, Natsu-chan." Lyon said dreamily but then he realized what he just said when the pinkette looked at him curiously. "Eh, I mean, you're welcome."

Natsu's stomach grumbled before he could speak again. He laughed sheepishly when Lyon just stared at him in surprise. "Ah, I'm hungry." He exclaimed while stretching his arms high up in the air. "Let's eat, Lyon-san!"

Faint blushes painted Lyon's cheeks again. Natsu had just invited him for lunch. Progress! It's like they're having another date! _Calm down, Lyon._ _Calm down._ He heaved a deep breath then he nodded. "Sure, Natsu-chan."

The two arrived at Magnolia's most famous cafe, Zodiac Cafe, which was owned by Loke's family. "This is the best cafe in all of Magnolia." Natsu explained as he and Lyon took a seat at the corner. He grabbed one of the menus and handed it to Lyon who was busy staring at him. "Here, choose what you want to eat. Though I might tell you that their Chocolate Parfait and Blueberry Cheesecake are the best sellers."

A pink-haired girl in a maid uniform approached them. "Konnichiwa**[1]**, Goshujin-sama**[2]**!" She cheerfully greeted. "What would be your orders then?"

"Ah, Aries-chan! I'll have Chocolate Marjolaine, Black Forest and a large Strawberry Milkshake." Natsu said with a huge grin on his face. "Say, Aries-chan, how does one act like a maid in a maid cafe?" He asked as an afterthought.

"Eh?" Lyon looked at Natsu with a curious expression.

"Hmmm..." Aries shyly bit her lower lip. "Why do you ask, Natsu-sama?"

"Err..." Natsu scratched his cheek as faint blushes painted them. "Our school will be having a Christmas festival three days from now and our class decided to have a maid cafe and I... well," The pinkette twirled his fingers as he went redder in embarrassment. "I was chosen to play the role of one of the maids."

"A... maid?" Aries repeated while Lyon went blushing madly. Images of Natsu in a maid outfit formed in his mind. After a moment of dazedness, blood slowly trickled out of his nose.

Natsu nodded with a small pout on his cute face. "I don't really understand why they chose me to become one but I can't do anything about it now. So, can you give me some tips?" He smiled at the pink-haired maid.

"You have to learn the words frequently used in maid cafes." Another pink-haired maid, named Virgo, said as she approached their table. She was nearby when Natsu asked Aries about how to act if you're a maid. "For example, the word you would use frequently is 'Goshujin-sama'. We maids use this term to make the customer feel more comfortable and it also shows our respect for them."

Natsu nodded, totally concentrating on what Virgo was saying. "Also, you have to smile and act cute all the time. It's not the pouty cute or the obnoxious type but you have to do things in a cute manner." Aries added.

"And practice your smile." Virgo supplied. "Practice it until it's super 200% cute! You can also, though not all the time, do moe things or wear cute accessories to add up to your cuteness."

"In doing things, you should also take your time and don't forget to be super nice to the customers. Nobody likes a mean maid." Aries smiled shyly at Natsu. "Don't worry, Natsu-sama. You're already cute. You would succeed in being a maid." Virgo nodded.

The pinkette blushed slightly at the compliment. "Thank you for the help, Virgo, Aries! You can come see us during the Christmas festival. Outsiders are invited. I'm sure Lucy and Loke would be delighted to see you two."

The two pink-haired maids nodded with a smile. "We surely will. But I'll have to finish serving you for the meanwhile." Aries said then she turned to Lyon who was still daydreaming with blood trickling down his nose. "Ah, Goshujin-sama, are you alright? Your nose is bleeding." She asked concernedly.

"I-I'm fine!" Lyon exclaimed with a laugh then he wiped the blood off his nose. "I'll have a blueberry cheesecake and iced tea, please." Aries took the order then she and Virgo left the two. Lyon then turned to Natsu. "Natsu-chan, is it really true? You're gonna be a maid?"

"Ah, yeah. Hehe..." Natsu grinned sheepishly. "You can also come to the festival, Lyon-san. It will be fun."

Lyon grinned as he nodded. "I'm sure it will."

* * *

"This is the town bazaar." Natsu said as he motioned to Lyon the several stalls lined up on either side of the street. "There are many things you can buy here. And most of them come off cheap."

Lyon nodded as he looked around. There are food stalls and accessories stalls. Others were selling items for tourists and many more. "This is good. I can bring Ur a souvenir." He said to himself. After going to the cafe, he asked Natsu to tour him around town for he wanted to spend longer time with him. Fortunately for him, the pinkette instantly agreed.

"Who's Ur? Your mother?" Natsu asked curiously. The name sounded vaguely familiar to him.

"No, she's my aunt. She took care of me when my parents died."

"She must be very great. The look on your face says that you really love her." Natsu commented. It didn't escape his eyes when Lyon's face lit up the moment he mentioned Ur.

Lyon smiled softly. "Yeah. I love her like my own mother." He said. "You, where are your parents, Natsu-chan? It's okay if you don't want to tell me." He quickly added.

"No, it's alright. My mom died when I was young, very young to even remember her. My dad's the only family I've got now. He's in Edolas, that's where I came from." Natsu said.

"You're from Edolas, too?" Lyon asked in surprise. Just his luck._ We're really destined, Natsu-chan. _He thought gleefully.

"Yeah, don't tell me you're from there?" The pinkette asked. He grinned when Lyon nodded. "Edolas is just a small town but I haven't seen you even once."

"Oh, I'm always at home or if not, at school." Lyon said while shaking his head. "My cousin even said that I'm anti-social."

Natsu laughed at that. "Well, at least –hey!" He gasped in surprise when he felt someone push him. "What –" That's when he realized that the crowd had become chaotic. It's as if there's a stampede about to happen. "Lyon-san!" The white-haired guy was nowhere to be found when he looked around. "Oh crap." He's been separated with his friend and now he's about to get crushed by people. _Just my day._

* * *

"Stupid humans..." Gray muttered in annoyance when the crowd in the bazaar began to get rowdy. "Watch it!" He growled when he felt someone push him. _Why did I even think of coming here? _He thought to himself as he tried to find his way out of the growing stampede.

He didn't know where to look for Natsu when he left the school. He knew the pinkette wasn't at home. So he decided to roam around town hoping to see the pinkette when he chanced upon the bazaar. Curiousity got the better of him so he went to the bazaar to check out some things. It was going fine when suddenly a bunch of drunken men began punching each other. And the chaos started.

He let his gaze roam around the chaotic place so he could find a way to escape before he gets squashed when a familiar pink hair caught his eyes. "Natsu!" He shouted amidst the noise as he pushed his way towards the pinkette who was at the brink of being crushed by the drunken men. "Dammit..."

* * *

"You bastard! You cheated!"

"Jerk! I didn't! You're the one who cheated!"

"Ugh... would you stop fighting?" Natsu complained while bracing himself so he wouldn't lose his balance and get trampled down by the rowdy crowd. "I'm getting squashed here." He added with a roll of his eyes. He was trapped in between the men fighting. How that happened was now beyond his comprehension.

"It's his fault!" A red-haired guy yelled as he pointed at the purple-haired guy. "He cheated!"

"Bastard!" The purple-haired guy yelled. "I didn't cheat! It was you!" Then with that, the two leapt against each other and brawled again, their friends punching each other, too.

Natsu exhaled irritably as he took a step backward when one guy flew to him, almost hitting him. "These people are idiots." He grumbled as he tried pushing his way out of the ruckus again.

"Hey, you!" A hand held his shoulder firmly which made him freeze on the spot. The pinkette slowly turned his head and paled when he saw a crazy-looking guy with long shaggy blonde hair. He smirked at the pale Natsu. "You're cute. How about we play for a while?" He asked as he maliciously touched the smaller boy's arm.

Natsu opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find his voice. He was paralyzed with fear. This guy looked so crazy. And violent. He closed his eyes firmly when he felt the other tighten his hold on his arm. _Gray, help me!_

The next thing he knew, the guy had let go of him. When Natsu opened his eyes, he got surprised when he saw the crazy blonde guy sprawled on the ground, unconscious. He then gave a start when he felt a hand on his shoulder again. "Pinky, you alright?" A painfully familiar voice asked.

Onyx eyes looked up and met cobalt ones. _Gray... _Heavens really knew he wanted Gray at the moment. He nodded as a hysterical laugh rose from his throat. "Y-Yeah... Thanks."

Gray scowled when he realized that Natsu's shaking. _He's hysterical. _"Let's get you out of here." He said when he felt the crowd getting even more restless. Wrapping his left arm around the pinkette's waist, he used his right arm to shield him from everyone as he steered him away from the chaos.

They were both panting after they got safely onto the sidewalk. "Natsu, you alright?" Gray asked once more as he checked the pinkette for any injury. He admit, he saw red when he saw that guy touching his Natsu.

Natsu nodded as he leaned against Gray, exhausted. The adrenaline rush he was feeling a while ago was now gone and he could only feel himself shaking in exhaustion. "I'm tired." He murmured against the raven's chest while subconsciously clutching onto his shirt. He's really comfortable now. Being with Gray, being in his arms like this, makes him feel safe. That no one could ever hurt him.

"Sure you would." Gray said as his left arm tightened around Natsu. "Let's go home then." His lips touched the pinkette's forehead when the latter nodded. The couple then began to walk out of the bazaar with the pinkette snuggling close to the raven who was holding him tight.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lyon was able to get out of the chaotic crowd in time to spot Natsu between the men fighting. "Natsu-chan!" He shouted as he forced his way to the pinkette. But his voice was drowned by the noise made by the crowd.

He gritted his teeth when he saw a crazy looking blonde guy approach Natsu and touch him maliciously. Albeit he was far, the white-haired male could sense that the pinkette was scared. "Natsu-chan!"

But before he could reach Natsu, a dark-haired guy blocked his vision of the pinkette. Lyon frowned. The bastard better not do something to Natsu. He pushed away the people blocking his way as he didn't let his sight off the dark-haired guy who punched the crazy looking blonde. He then saw him wrap an arm around Natsu and began steering him away from the chaos. _A love rival, eh? _He thought darkly as he followed the two. He still has to get a clear view of the other guy's face but he took note, the other looked familiar.

He saw the two at the sidewalk, the dark-haired guy's back on him. He was about to approach the two when Natsu leaned against the guy while the latter hugged him close. He then said something to the pinkette who nodded slightly. Then the two went to go.

Lyon couldn't explain what he was feeling. The expression on Natsu's face was one he wouldn't forget. The pinkette looked so peaceful and contented when he was in that guy's arms. _So he's the one Natsu-chan likes. _"A rival in love huh. But I won't give up." He told himself then he turned and went the opposite way.

* * *

**What will happen now? I'm already halfway through chapter 8 and I'm getting crazy ideas! Please read and review! :D**

**[1] It means 'Good Afternoon' in Japanese.**

**[2] Means 'Master'... pronounced as 'Go-shoe-jean-sah-mah'.**

**~koichii**


	8. Chapter 8

**Since it's new year, I'm posting the chapter 8 of Realize. I've spent the last 3 days reading every NatGray fic I can find! But I still can't get enough of them. Geez! XD**

**To those who reviewed, favorited and followed my story, ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! To **theabridgedkuriboh, Shining-Neon-Skies, darkhuntressxir, fullbusteriffic, 27CansOfTuna, **and **AliceJasper28. **Thank you for the review! On to the story! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**–Realize–**

"Welcome, Goshujin-sama!"

"So cute!" The customers exclaimed when they were greeted by Lucy and Levy that were dressed up as maids.

"Lucy and Levy are doing well huh." Jellal commented as he, Gajeel and Loke watched the two girls entertain the customers. Cana and Gray were at the bar preparing the drinks while Mirajane was helping Bisca prepare the cakes and other pastries.

"Yeah, they look really cute, too." Loke said with a giggle at his girlfriend's cuteness. "Right, Gajeel?"

"Ah, y-yeah!" Gajeel mumbled, his cheeks flushed a deep red as he watched the petite blue-haired girl roam around their classroom-turned-cafe. "What?" He asked with a frown when he noticed Jellal and Loke smirking mischievously at him.

"You like her!" The two chorused which had Gajeel blushing and choking in utter embarrassment. They laughed as they slapped him on the back. "Don't worry, dude. She likes you, too." The metal boy blushed even more.

Lucy stopped in front of the three boys with a stern expression on her face. "I suggest you three help us with the work. The customers are already increasing. You don't want to piss Erza off, right?"

The three boys nodded simultaneously. Nobody wanted to piss Erza Scarlet off. Not even her boyfriend Jellal. "Wait, where is she by the way?" The bluenette asked as an afterthought while looking around for his red-haired girlfriend.

"Natsu's yet to show up, too." Loke added. "He didn't back out, did he?"

As if an answer to Jellal and Loke's questions, Erza came in the room dressed in a maid outfit with her hair tied up in a high ponytail. She was dragging someone behind her. "I saw him outside." She said as she pushed a blushing Natsu forward. He was already wearing a maid outfit though he's the only one wearing black knee socks. The others were wearing white. His usual spiky hair was toned down a bit and his bangs were kept in place by criss-crossing black pins.

"Whoa, Natsu? Is that you?" Loke asked in disbelief while Gajeel, Jellal and the other customers began to ogle the pinkette who looked so cute and girly in the maid outfit. His blushing face just added up to his cuteness. "Kawaii!" They chorused.

From the coffee he was blending, Gray looked up at the source of the commotion and almost got a nosebleed when he saw Natsu standing there and looking as cute as ever in a maid outfit. _He's really adorable. _Then his eyes sharpened when he noticed that the other males, and even the females, were ogling him. Growling under his breath, he began throwing death glares at each and every guy who was drooling over his Natsu. Those who noticed it went pale and immediately looked away.

The arrival of another batch of excited customers took everyone's attention from Natsu. The pinkette heaved a sigh of relief as he went to help his classmates serve the customers.

"You look adorable in that, Pinky." Gray said when Natsu approached him. He smirked when the pinkette blushed furiously. "I'm trying my best not to jump you right at this very moment."

Natsu's cheeks flamed up at the raven's last statement. "Shut up, ice-block!" He snapped but he couldn't help but run his gaze on Gray. He looked gorgeous at that butler uniform he's wearing. He wasn't wearing the black coat yet and the white long sleeves of his undershirt were rolled until his elbows. The first two buttons of his white undershirt and black vest were also undone and the slightly disheveled hair added up to the effect thus giving him a sexy look.

"Like what you see?" Gray teasingly asked the pinkette who blushed once more.

"Again, ice-block, you shut up." Natsu grumbled. "Give me one vanilla and one strawberry milkshake." He said without looking at the taller boy.

"Of course." Gray cheerfully replied. "That is if you go out on a date with me."

"What!" Natsu exclaimed in surprise. "That's blackmail!"

"No, it's not." Gray said with a grin on his handsome face.

Natsu muttered something incoherent under his breath then he looked at Gray, his cheeks flushing again. Seriously, ever since Gray arrived at Magnolia, blushing became his hobby. "Okay, fine. Just make that damn milkshake." He relented.

Gray's smile widened. "My pleasure." He said then he began to make the milkshake. Natsu just pouted at him.

* * *

"Na-chan, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Eh?" From his writing pad, Natsu's gaze went to the blonde boy who threw the question at him. "Why do you ask, Hibiki-sama?" He asked back, all the while not erasing the smile on his face. _Remember the rules, Natsu. Give your 200% smile._

"Because it would be such a crime if you're still single, Na-chan." Hibiki said as dozens of roses appeared around him and his three other companions while they did some awkward poses. The girls blushed and squealed when he winked at them. "You're so adorable, Na-chan."

"Yes, very adorable." Hibiki's other companion, Ren, said.

"A creature as beautiful as you shouldn't be single." The youngest of the four, Eve, said. "It's a great tragedy if it is."

"Men!" The shortest and perhaps the oldest nodded in agreement while crossing his hands on his shoulders and doing a weird pose. Hibiki, Ren and Eve posed again and once more, roses formed around them.

Natsu was sweat dropped at what he saw. _Why am I talking to these weirdos? _He asked himself as he forced the cute smile on his face to remain intact. Students from Blue Pegasus University are weird. "To answer your question, Hibiki-sama, I don't have a boyfriend. I don't need one."

Hibiki shook his head dramatically. "What a waste." He murmured then he suddenly grabbed Natsu's hand, surprising the pinkette for that matter. "I'd go gay for you, Na-chan so, go out with me?"

Natsu was once more sweat dropped at Hibiki's advances. Hibiki Laytis, Ren Akatsuki and Eve Tearm, who make up the most famous group in Blue Pegasus University, the Trimens, really knew how to woo a girl or anyone for that matter. The three of them could go against Loke's skill of being a Casanova before he got together with Lucy. "Err, Hibiki-sama, I –"

"Sorry, gentlemen, but he's not going out with any of you." Someone said beside Natsu which made him look up. Gray smiled at the pinkette who was looking curiously at him. He just winked at him as he placed four tall glasses of Iced Mocha on the table.

"Why?" Hibiki asked. Then his eyes widened with realization which made Natsu nervous. Had Hibiki noticed something between him and Gray? "You really have a boyfriend, Na-chan and you just don't want to hurt my feelings." He clutched his chest and sighed dramatically. "Please, don't spare my heart. I want to hear it directly from your luscious lips."

Natsu laughed in amusement at Hibiki's antics. "You're so funny, Hibiki-sama." He said then he smiled cutely making the Trimens', Ichiya's and Gray's heart to skip a beat.

"N-Na-chan..." Hibiki began, blood trickling down his nose. Natsu was really cute!

"Ah, we have to go now." Gray said as he grabbed Natsu's hand. He has to get Natsu away from these guys before they fall completely in love with the pinkette. He doesn't need more rival over his childhood friend. "Mirajane needs help in preparing the cakes. Excuse us." He then pulled Natsu away.

"Where are we going, Gray?" Natsu asked in confusion when instead of going to the little kitchen they set up, the raven dragged him out of the classroom. "I thought Mira needs help."

"No, silly. Mira's doing fine. Lisanna and Erza are there to help her. It's our break time. We have an hour. Let's have lunch and tour around." Gray said as they walked along the busy corridor. And he could see the other students, especially the guys, staring at the pinkette. He glared at them which made them turn away. "What do you think?"

Natsu glanced at their intertwined hands then he blushed. "Sounds like a plan." He mumbled. Gray smiled.

* * *

"Tish ish mrilly gowd!" ("This is really good!") Natsu cheerfully exclaimed as he continue to devour the extra large taco that he ordered. "And itch spishy." ("And it's spicy.")

Gray, who was sitting across Natsu, smiled. The two of them are now in another class which was doing a Mexican-inspired restaurant. The pinkette got hyped up when he saw the huge taco so they decided to eat there. "Glad you like it." He said as he sipped on his drink.

"I'll try making one at home." Natsu declared when he finished eating. "What?" He asked when he noticed Gray staring at him.

"You've got sauce on your face." The raven said before leaning forward and licking the chili sauce off the pinkette's left cheek and on the corner of his lips, catching the latter off guard. "There, gone now and you're right, it tastes really good. " He smirked when the pinkette blushed.

"Idiot," Was all Natsu could say. Good thing nobody saw it or else he surely wouldn't see the end of everyone's teasing.

"You know, you're so cute when you blush, Natsu." Gray said with a smile. He got amused when the pinkette blushed even more. "Just like now."

"Shut up, Gray." Natsu snapped then he got up from his seat. "Let's hurry before our one hour break would be over. I want to check out every booth."

Gray checked his watch as he got up, too. "We have 30 minutes left." He said as they got out of the classroom and headed to the grounds where several booths are also in display. "There are also game booths." Then he smirked. "How about a contest, Pinky?"

Natsu tilted his head as he glanced up at the smirking raven-haired teen. "What kind?" He asked, getting excited. He loves challenges and he's not one to back down from any of them.

"Let's join one game. Since we only have less than 30 minutes, that's all we can afford." Gray began. "The one who loses will obey whatever the winner wants him to do for a day. Deal?"

"Deal!" Natsu enthusiastically agreed, his fist hitting thin air. "I'll beat you into dust, Gray!"

Gray chuckled at the pinkette's enthusiasm. "We'll see." He said. Then his eyes twinkled mischievously. "How about a good luck charm?"

"Huh?"

Without any warning, Gray suddenly dipped his head and gave Natsu a short but hard kiss on the mouth. "There," He grinned when his lips left the pinkette's lips. "So, what should we play?" He asked as he began to walk towards the busy school grounds.

Meanwhile, Natsu was left there staring at Gray's retreating figure in shock. Did the raven just kiss him in public? Realizing what had just happened, his face flamed up. "Gray!"

* * *

"This is Gray's school?" Ultear asked after the chauffeur dropped her and Lyon in front of Fairy Tail Academy. "Pretty simple huh." She added as she checked out the surroundings. Three huge buildings surrounded by lots of Cherry Blossom trees. _It's like a school for middle-class people._

"Well it's not Ouran High or Ashford Academy so bear with it." Lyon, who seemed to have read what's in her mind, said. "Let's go. I still have to find Natsu."

Ultear raised an eyebrow as she and her white-haired cousin went inside the school. The grounds were full of booths and there are so many students –both from Fairy Tail Academy and outside –roaming around. "Natsu? That's the name of your crush?" She asked.

Lyon nodded as he scanned the area for the pinkette or for Gray. "Yup! Natsu Dragneel. He's from Edolas, too. Maybe you and Gray know him."

Because he wasn't looking at her, he didn't see the kind of smile Ultear showed. "Maybe," _Natsu Dragneel huh. This is going to be interesting._

* * *

"A TIE!" Natsu exclaimed in disbelief when he and Gray tied up again in the first place of the shooting game they were playing. "Let's have another tie-breaker!" He told the student manning the shooting booth.

The student shook his head. "Sorry, that's the last of our toy soldiers." He said. Actually, it's the second tie-breaker round for the two. They were evenly matched up in skills so they always end up tying in the first place.

"Give it up, Natsu." Gray said as he placed his hand on the pinkette's shoulder. He grinned when the shorter boy pouted at him.

"But –"

"Let's settle this later. For now, we have to go back or Erza will surely kill us." The two boys shivered unconsciously when they thought of what Erza might do to them if they go back late.

"How about we race back to the classroom?" Natsu suggested with a cute grin on his face which made Gray blush slightly. "The one who reaches the classroom first, wins. Let it be the tie-breaker."

"Good idea." Gray said in agreement. "Okay, you go ahead, Pinky. I'll give you an advantage for you'll surely have a great difficulty running around in a dress."

Natsu blushed at the raven's teasing. "Sod off, Gray. I don't need any advantage. I can beat you effortlessly."

"Is that so?" Gray asked then before Natsu knew it, he was off running away. "Then I expect you to be there before me, Pinky!"

"Hey! That's cheating! GRAY!"

* * *

Unbeknownst to Gray, Natsu was confident that he would win the game this time. Because he entered Fairy Tail Academy before the raven did, he knew some shortcuts that would help him reach their classroom faster.

Gray wasn't there yet when Natsu arrived at the classroom. Everyone looked at him curiously when they saw him breathless but jubilant. "I-Is Gray here already?" He asked once he calmed down a little.

"Nope. Aren't you two together?" Lucy asked.

Natsu ignored the underlying meaning of Lucy's question. He was just about to answer his blonde best friend when, at the corner of his eyes, he spotted the raven coming. An idea suddenly entered his head so he hastily fixed himself and glued a sweet smile on his face. He couldn't wait to see Gray's face the moment he sees him there. "Gray-sama, what took you so long?" He asked in a sickly-sweet voice the moment Gray went inside the classroom. He watched in satisfaction as the grin on the raven's face slowly faded.

"You cheated!"

* * *

"What's the matter with Gray? Why is he scowling?" Mirajane asked when she noticed the raven-haired teen glaring at every person who dared to approach him (his fangirls actually). The silver-haired beauty wasn't there a while ago to witness the little contest between Natsu and Gray.

"Oh, he's just pissed because Natsu beat him on a race." Cana said with a laugh. Ever since Gray arrived at Fairy Tail Academy, she had been entertained with his crazy antics with Natsu.

"Oh, dear." Mirajane shook her head while smiling slightly. "I hope they wouldn't fight because of it."

"Well, they could just kiss and make out... err, make up afterwards." Cana smirked mischievously then she winked at Mirajane who smiled back at her. For everyone's information, these two girls are closet fujoshis.

"Hey ice-block, don't scare the customers away." Natsu said as he approached Gray who was wiping the cups and saucers clean. Like Mirajane and Cana, and probably everyone in the room, he also noticed the dark aura surrounding the raven-haired teen.

"It's not my problem if they get scared." Gray grumbled as he finished wiping the last pair of cup and saucer. "Ow!" Then he suddenly yelped in pain when Natsu stomped on his foot. "What was that for?" He irritably asked the pinkette who was now frowning at him.

"That's for being a jerk, you damn ice-block!" Natsu hissed. "Don't take it out on the customers if you're pissed off at me because I beat you in that stupid race!"

"Ah, Na-chan is really adorable when he's angry." Hibiki dreamily said which didn't go unheard by Gray. The former went pale when the latter shot him death glares.

A glass of Blended Mocha with extra whipped cream that was placed in front of him pulled Gray's attention from Hibiki. He looked back and got surprised when he saw Natsu still scowling at him but now blushing slightly. "Drink that. It'll help you cool down your head."

"I don't like to drink anything."

"Do it." The pinkette said in a stern voice which slightly surprised and aroused Gray. The shorter boy being demanding is such a turn on for him. "That's an order. Remember the penalty for the loser?"

The raven scoffed. "Tch. Whatever." He muttered under his breath as he grabbed the glass and began sipping. The bitterness of the coffee balanced by the sticky-sweet taste of the whipped cream unconsciously soothed Gray. Being a fan of black coffee, he was surprised to realize that he liked the one he's currently drinking. "This is good." He said then he took another long sip.

Natsu smiled as he watched Gray slowly relaxing and went on drinking Blended Mocha happily. Unknown to him, his expression softened as he continued watching the raven.

"KAWAII!"

Natsu and Gray jumped up in surprise at the girlish squeals. They both looked back and was sweat dropped when they saw Lucy and Levy staring at them with eyes that sparkled like stars. Beside the two girls are Virgo and Aries who were having a nosebleed and blushing, respectively. But what made the two boys pale were Cana and Mirajane. The two girls were behind Lucy and Levy and were staring at them like they were some kind of food. "Err, what's the matter, girls?" Natsu asked tentatively while Gray prepared himself to drag Natsu and run away just in case the girls would do something crazy.

"Natsu-sama, you really look cute in a maid outfit." Aries shyly commented.

"If I didn't know you, Natsu-sama, I would really think you're a girl." Virgo added.

Natsu blushed furiously at the comment of the two girls while Gray chuckled. He glared at the raven who just winked at him before turning back to Aries and Virgo. "Err, thank you, Aries-chan, Virgo-chan." He said with a smile on his lips. "I'm glad you two could come. You should try out Mira's chocolate cake! It's so good."

Lucy and Levy nodded in agreement. "Yes, he's right. Let's settle you on a table, girls." The blonde girl told Aries and Virgo. "Today we'll be the ones serving you." Then with that, Levy and Lucy led the two pink-haired girls to an empty table.

"Who are they?" Gray asked when he and Natsu were pretty much alone again.

"The one with the long pink hair and so shy is Aries-chan and the short-haired one is Virgo-chan. They work as maids in Zodiac Cafe. It's a maid cafe owned by Loke's family and the most famous cafe in Magnolia." Natsu replied.

"Zodiac Cafe?" Gray repeated, his expression getting thoughtful.

The pinkette nodded, instantly liking Gray's thoughtful expression. _He's still hot even with that expression. _He blushed at his thoughts. "You want to go visit there?"

Gray looked at Natsu with a really surprised expression and the pinkette thought that he seriously gave Gray a surprise there. "What happened to you, Pinky? Why aren't you yelling at me now?" He asked instead of answering Natsu's question earlier.

The shorter boy blushed even more at the question. Has he softened up to Gray already? _No way. _"Do you want to go or not?" He asked, irritation lacing up his voice.

"I wanna!" Gray exclaimed like a kid who was offered by his parents his favourite toy. "Let's go there for our date." He grinned at Natsu who began blushing mad again.

"Idiot," The pinkette huffed as he got his writing pad. Several students had arrived, much to his relief. "Let's get back to work before Erza comes back and sees us slacking off."

"Aye!"

* * *

Meanwhile...

Ultear was irritated as she wandered on the school grounds alone. She and Lyon got separated because of the thick crowd and she couldn't contact her cousin's phone. "I shouldn't have come with him." She muttered as she tried to find the gate. She decided she would just leave and go to her favourite salon.

She was busy thinking of what else she would do after leaving Fairy Tail Academy so she wasn't able to notice that someone was standing in front of her.

BAM!

"Ouch!" She moaned as she rubbed her forehead. She felt like she hit a solid wall at the pain she's feeling. Her forehead would surely swell later. _Oh, no! _"Look at where you're walking, would you?" She snapped as she looked at the person in front of her. Then she gasped in surprise.

"You're the one who should be looking where you're going, Miss." Jellal said seriously. He raised an eyebrow when the pretty dark-haired girl just kept on staring at him in surprise. "What? Cat got your tongue?" He asked, a little bit impatient now. Erza would surely kill him if he didn't show up in 5 minutes.

"So you're just here." Ultear said with an alluring smile as she wrapped her arms around a horrified Jellal's neck. "And they said you left Fiore." Then without letting the bluenette reply, she pulled his head down for a kiss.

* * *

**OMG! Ultear kissed Jellal! Hahaha! Please read and review! Thanks! HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS! :)**

**~Koichii**


	9. Chapter 9

**darkhuntressxir: He will be in a LOT of trouble. But not in this chapter. :D**

**27CansOfTuna: Thank you very much! :3**

**AliceJasper28: Me, too! Honestly, I have a plot in mind but when I write the next chapter, I get new ideas so this is basically mixed up with lots of things I want to do. Haha!**

**ariandaz: Thank you so much! Happy new year!**

**theabridgedkuriboh: Erza will kick asses. But whose ass is still a question. XD**

**sktrgrl13: I love Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi! And you have given me an idea of something because of your review! :D**

**A/N: So since I already finished chapter 9 of this fic, I won't hold on to it long. I'll prolly be busy in the next few weeks so I might as well grab this chance to update as much as I can. Hope you enjoy this fic, guys! :3**

**Pairings: NatsuxxGray, LokexxLucy, JellalxxErza, SiegrainxxUltear, RenxxSherri, GajeelxxLevy**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. *sobs***

* * *

–**Realize–**

Jellal's eyes widened when it sank to him what was going on. Careful not to cause any scene that might attract anyone's attention, he pushed away the black-haired girl kissing him. "What, for the love of all that's holy, are you doing?" He asked in bewilderment. "And who are you?"

Ultear gave him a sultry smile which scared the hell out of the blue-haired boy. He slowly backed off as he checked their surroundings. Everyone had been so busy minding their own business to notice what happened. He sighed in relief at that. It would surely be the death of him if Erza finds out about this. He turned his wary gaze back to the girl who just sexually harassed him. _She's hot but totally not my type. She's more of Seigrain's type. _He mused, thinking about his twin brother who was out of the country as of the moment**[1]**.

"Oh come on, Sieg. Stop pretending you don't know me." She said sweetly as she took a step closer to him which made him take another step back. Her brows twitched in annoyance. "Okay, now you're getting annoying."

Jellal was sweat dropped at Ultear's last statement. Then he realized something that she had just said. "Did you say 'Sieg'?" He asked. Suddenly it became clear to him. "I'm sorry to disappoint you miss but I'm not Siegrain. I'm his twin brother, Jellal." He revealed, mentally adding Ultear to the list of girls who'd been looking for his brother ever since he left Fiore five years ago**[2]**.

"Siegrain never told me he has a twin." Ultear said as she eyed him dubiously.

The bluenette shook his head. He was cursing his brother in his head for not telling this girl that he has a twin. _But then, she could still have mistaken you for Siegrain. _A part of his mind told him. He frowned. "Look, I don't know what's going on between you two but I swear on my grave that I'm not Siegrain." He seriously said. "I'm Jellal Fernandes. J-E-L-L-A-L. And you are...?"

The girl rolled her eyes before replying. "Ultear Milkovich." She used her mother's maiden name to avoid being related to Gray. Who knows, this boy here might know her brother and the last thing she wanted was for Gray to know that she's here. _He doesn't need to know yet that I'm here in Magnolia, too. _She then frowned when she noticed Jellal looking at her seriously. "What?"

"So you're Ultear." The bluenette murmured which had Ultear raising an eyebrow suspiciously at him. So this was the girl his twin was head over heels in love with. "Everyone back at home knows about you." He explained. "You're the only girl Siegrain's been talking about."

Ultear stared at him for a moment then she snorted as her cheeks tinted slightly. "I'm flattered." She sarcastically said. "So that's why he left without any word huh." She turned to go. "Tell that brother of yours he's a jerk. A big-time jerk." Then without letting Jellal reply, she turned on her heel and left.

Jellal shook his head as he watched Ultear disappear into the crowd. "I wonder what happened between them." He murmured. He should call his brother later and ask him about Ultear Milkovich.

"Jellal?" The bluenette turned around and saw Erza approaching. She looked curiously at him. "Something the matter?"

"You remember that story I told you about Siegrain and his first love?" He asked his girlfriend who only nodded. "Well, the girl's here today. And she just mistakenly took me as my brother."

* * *

"I wonder where Natsu-chan is." Lyon wondered as he entered the building where the classrooms are located. The flyer he held in his hand said that each class were also holding an activity in each rooms. "I should've asked for his number."

"Lyon-sama? Is that you?"

The white-haired teen turned to look at the source of the sweet voice and saw a pink-haired girl in ponytails. "Oh, it's you, Sherri. What are you doing here at Fairy Tail Academy?" He asked. Sherri's also a student in Lamia Scale and his classmate.

"I heard about the Christmas Festival held here in Fairy Tail Academy from a friend." The pink-head replied, her cheeks flushing due to unknown reasons. "I didn't know you're here, too, Lyon-sama."

"A friend also invited me here. I'm still looking for him though." Lyon said. "And my cousin, too. He's a student here."

"Maybe I can help, Lyon-sama. My friend can help us, too." Sherri's cheeks turned as pink as her hair again when she said the last line.

"Well –"

"Sherri!" Someone called a few feet away from them. The two looked up and saw a good-looking dark-haired man ahead of them waving at Sherri.

Lyon watched in amusement as Sherri's face turned darker at the sight of the guy. He grinned. "He's your boyfriend, Sherri?"

"Err... no, Lyon-sama. We met at a blind date and we became friends since then." She supplied but the tint in her cheeks said otherwise. "He's a student from Blue Pegasus University."

"Sorry I didn't notice your text." Ren said the moment he got near the two.

Sherri smiled, the blush not leaving her cheeks. "No, it's alright. By the way, Ren, this is my classmate, Lyon Bastia. Lyon-sama, this is Ren Akatsuki, my –"

"Boyfriend." Ren said which made Sherri blush harder. He stared hard at Lyon, mentally declaring the white-haired guy as his love rival.

Lyon raised an eyebrow at the way Ren was staring at him. Then he grinned when he realized what he just said. "Oh," He looked at Sherri who was avoiding his gaze. "_Friend _huh." He teased.

"Lyon-sama!" Sherri protested with a pout. Then she noticed something. "By the way, Ren, where are Hibiki and Eve?" As far as she knew, the three are almost always together.

"Oh, they're at class 2-A." Ren answered. "Ichiya's got a crush on the student council president and she's on that class."

"Ah, really?" Sherri was sweat dropped. Whoever this girl was, she already pities her.

"And Hibiki's smitten with one of the maids." The dark-haired guy added. "The two of them doesn't want to leave there so Eve decided to stay with them. Just in case."

"Maids?" Lyon repeated. Natsu-chan said that their class will be having a maid cafe. Maybe he's at class 2-A.

Ren nodded. "Yes, class 2-A's doing a maid cafe. Lots of people have gone there. The cakes are good but mostly they're there to ogle Na-chan."

"N-Na-chan?" Lyon suddenly got nervous. Could it be...?

Ren offered his arm to Sherri who blushed again but nevertheless took it. He then turned to look at Lyon. "Come with us. I'll take you there. You can see for yourself. Na-chan's the pink-haired maid, by the way."

* * *

"Welcome, Goshujin-sama!"

"Natsu-chan?"

"Huh?" Natsu looked up when he heard his name being called by a familiar voice. "Lyon-san!" He exclaimed in delight when he saw his friend gawking at him at the doorway. "I'm glad you could come. Get in!"

Lyon felt that he would have a nosebleed again. Natsu was so cute at the maid uniform he's wearing. And he looked so much like a girl. _Oh, my heart. _He mused as he pressed his hand to his chest and felt his heart beating so mad. "N-Natsu-chan, you're so cute." He said before he could stop himself.

Natsu blushed furiously at the compliment which made every guys, especially Hibiki, drool. "Err... sankyuu, Lyon-san." He said as he led the white-haired male where the Trimens' were located. He saw a while ago that Lyon was with Ren Akatsuki's pink-haired girlfriend. "What would you want to order then?" He asked with a smile.

"Can I take you out, Na-chan?" Hibiki asked before Lyon could reply. The white-haired male glared at him which made him frown. "What are you glaring at?" He demanded.

"Natsu-chan's not going out with you." Lyon growled. This guy must be Hibiki Laytis, the guy Ren was referring to a while ago. Well, too bad for him, Natsu-chan isn't going out with him.

"And why is that?" Hibiki growled back.

"Guys, guys. Chill." Eve said. He was forced to pacify the two since Ichiya was busy scaring the hell out of Erza and Ren was in his own world with Sherri. "Why don't we let Na-chan decide who he wants to go out with?" He suggested.

"Agreed!" Lyon and Hibiki exclaimed together. Then the three of them looked at Natsu who was sweat dropped. "Natsu-chan, who would you go out with?" Lyon asked seriously.

"Ah," Natsu stuttered. How did it turn like out to be like this? He never wished to be a friggin' maid and to have two hot guys fighting over him no matter how flattering it is. "Lyon-san, Hibiki-sama, I... well..." What should he do? He doesn't really want to date anyone. Except Gray. He blushed at the thought. "Err..." The pinkette tried to think of something to say then an idea entered his mind. "I'm sorry, guys. I can't go out with either of you because I still have work here." He smiled cutely at Lyon and Hibiki, getting a nosebleed out of the two. "Excuse me for a while. I can see a new customer." Heaving a sigh of relief, he then skipped towards the door.

"Eh! Natsu-chan!"

* * *

"Hello, I'm Natsu! I'll be serving you for today." Natsu said when he approached the two girls who just entered their classroom-turned-to-maid-cafe.

"Hello –oh." The blonde girl mumbled while her friend, a brunette, blushed when they both saw the pinkette smiling at them. "Kawaii!" They exclaimed, giggling all over.

Natsu was sweat dropped. Good thing he'd gotten used to that reaction already. He cleared his throat as he got his writing pad from his dress' pocket. "What can I get you, Miss?" He asked politely.

"Ah, we'll both have the coffee jelly parfait and strawberry shortcake, Natsu-chan." The brunette replied with a smile.

Natsu nodded as he listed down the order. "Two orders of coffee jelly parfait and strawberry shortcake coming right up!" He said cheerfully. The two girls giggled again. He turned around and was about to walk away when he heard them talking.

**[3]**"Are you sure Athrun's coming?" The brunette asked the blonde.

The blonde nodded with a smile on her face. "Yup! He said he will meet me after his class. I can't wait, Milly! When Lacus told me about this legend that if you kiss your beloved during a fireworks festival, you will be together forever!**[4]**" She excitedly told her friend.

"Good luck, Cagalli." The brunette, called Milly, said.

Images of Gray filled Natsu's mind when he thought about what Cagalli had said. He shook his head as he blushed slightly. He needed to concentrate in his work, not daydream! He went to the bar area where Cana was taking up orders, alone. "Cana, where's Gray?" He asked with a small frown on his face.

Cana, not missing the frown on Natsu's face, smiled slyly. "Oh, he went with Lucy to get some ingredients for the second batch of cookies Mira and Lisanna are baking." She said as she got the order slip Natsu handed her. "Why?"

Natsu shook his head, oblivious to Cana's amused stares. "Nothing," He mumbled. He watched the dark-haired girl make the coffee jelly parfait silently. "Say, Cana." He swallowed when the girl looked again at him. "I heard two girls speaking about..." His face reddened at what he was about to say. "Is it true that if you kiss someone during a fireworks festival, you'll be... together forever?"

Cana shrugged. "Not fireworks festivals in general. Here, let me clarify it." She added when the pinkette looked confusedly at him. "Festivals held here in Fairy Tail Academy would always end up with fireworks. When this academy was built, they had an overnight celebration, and it was said that the founder, Mavis Vermillion, found her true love during the fireworks festival held that night." She smiled. "And after that, couples or soon-to-be couples who kissed or confessed to each other during fireworks festivals held here, also ended up being together. So since then, couples do that in every fireworks festival at Fairy Tail Academy."

"Oh," Natsu murmured. "Thank you, Cana." He smiled at the dark-haired girl.

"Why did you ask about that, Natsu?" Cana asked as an afterthought. "Thinking of bringing someone to the fireworks festival later?" She teasingly asked.

The pinkette blushed furiously at the meaningful question. "N-No! I... I was just curious."

Cana raised an eyebrow at him which made the boy sweat drop. "Really?"

"Natsu-chan?" Natsu and Cana looked over to Lyon who was standing behind the pinkette. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Natsu instantly nodded, relief evident in his features while Cana frowned for being interrupted. "Sure, Lyon-san. I'll just give these to those two girls then I'll meet you outside." When Lyon nodded, he then went on serving Cagalli and Milly.

After a few minutes, Natsu left the classroom and met Lyon at the corridor. "It's too noisy in here, Natsu-chan. Can we go somewhere private?" The white-haired male asked.

Natsu nodded. "Yup! Let's go to the rooftop. There'll be no one there." When Lyon nodded, the two then began heading to the rooftop.

* * *

"How long has he been gone?" Gray asked, a hint of irritation in his voice when he found out Natsu had left the classroom without him.

"About five minutes now." Cana replied, unfazed by the raven's temper just brewing under the surface. "And mind you, he left with a boy." She smirked and winked at Mirajane, who was nearby, when Gray's expression darkened.

"What the fuck." Gray cursed under his breath. He was about to leave the classroom again when a hand held his shoulder. He looked back to snap at the one who was holding him but paled when he realized who it was.

"Where do you think you're going?" Erza grimly asked. "You're not going anywhere. We have one more hour till closing and the customers are increasing. Get back to work."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Gray exclaimed while Cana and Mirajane chuckled. He was about to snuck out when Erza left to attend to a customer but stopped when he saw the object of his affection step inside the classroom. And the raven took note that he was a little pink on the cheeks. "Where have you been?" He asked when he got near. He looked around to find the boy Natsu went with so he could kill him.

"It's none of your business!" Natsu snapped, his blush deepening. And before Gray could speak, he hurriedly went to the door to greet a customer who just came in. The raven frowned at him.

* * *

Aren't you curious what happened to Natsu and Lyon at the rooftop?

"What do you want to talk about, Lyon-san?" Natsu asked the moment they arrived at the rooftop.

Lyon heaved a deep breath before turning to stare at the pinkette who's looking curiously at him. "Natsu-chan, I like you." He said, his expression so calm but deep down he's a nervous wreck. "Please go out with me."

Natsu stared at him for a moment as if digesting the words he just said. "You... like me?" He repeated dumbly.

Lyon nodded. There's no turning back now. "Ever since the first time I've seen you, Natsu-chan, I've liked you. I have several girlfriends in the past but I've only felt this way towards you."

By now, Natsu was blushing from head to toe. He couldn't believe that Lyon was serious about him. He thought that he was just toying with Hibiki. "Lyon-san, I –"

"You don't have to answer me now, Natsu-chan." Lyon cut the pinkette off. Then before the shorter boy could speak again, he leaned closer and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. Onyx eyes widened at that. "I'll be here in Magnolia for two weeks. Think about it please." Then with that, he left, leaving a stunned and blushing Natsu behind.

* * *

**[1] I made Jellal and Seigrain here as twins. I didn't choose Mystogan (though I like him more than Jellal/Siegrain) for I love him and Erza Knightwalker together and it's impossible for Erza K. to be here unless Scarlet has a twin. I can make it happen but let's not make Natsu and Gray's lives more difficult than it has to. Lol. Plus, I like Seigrain and Ultear together. :)**

**[2] I made Fiore as a country here just like Philippines, Japan and UK.**

**[3] Athrun, Cagalli, Milly and Lacus are characters of my other favourite anime, Gundam SEED. Sadly, I do not own them.**

**[4] I just made that up. Not really creative but I need some excuse. Hahaha! XD**

**Please read and review!**

**~koichii**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N1: I know there are very few NatGray moments on the previous chapters so I'm here to make amends. In this chapter, there'll be lots and lots of fluff~! Teehee~ :3**

**darkhuntressxir: I still don't know what Natsu's answer to Lyon would be. But I want to him to end up with Gray. Well, let's just see where this would lead. And thanks for reviewing! :D**

** theabridgedkuriboh: I agree with you. Natsu is for Gray only but it would be fun to have some triangle here. Thanks for the review! :)**

**27CansOfTuna: Yes, really kawaii! Chapter 9 was really meant for Lyon and Natsu. And maybe a little of Hibiki. Gihihi. Thanks for reviewing! :3**

**O.o. Belt.O.o.O: I agree. It is really good to have AUs work in parallel with the anime/manga. Don't worry, I will have a flashback of what happened to Seigrain and Ultear. In later chapters maybe. Plus Erza's reaction to the kiss! Gihihi. I'm sorry for Jellal already. I'm still contemplating about what Natsu's reply. I dunno. I want to have a love triangle here so I should prolly do something about it. Thanks for reviewing! :D**

**Shining-Neon-Skies: Thanks for reviewing! I'm not really familiar with fireworks festivals so I hope this isn't disappointing. XD Thanks for reviewing!**

** Elvin83: Yay! Glad you liked it! Thanks for the review. :3**

** Sque-Fangirl: Here's chapter 9! Thanks for reviewing! :D**

** The Dark Crimson Blood: Thank you so much! :)**

**Yaoi-forever7: You flattered me. It's not really that professional. XD But thanks anyway!**

**A/N2: This chapter is dedicated to all those who reviewed, followed and favorited me and this story. Thank you for the support guys! You overwhelm me. XD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. And Tenisu no Oujisama.**

* * *

–**Realize–**

"At last it's over!" Lucy sighed as she stretched her tired arms when the clock struck five. It means that each class would close down their booths and prepare for the fireworks festival that will happen two hours later.

"I'm really tired." Natsu mumbled as he slumped on the floor beside the blonde. "I didn't think it would be that tiresome to run a maid cafe. I wonder how Aries-chan and Virgo-chan could do it."

"They're good at what they're doing. That's for sure." Lucy said which made Natsu nod in agreement. "At least we get to rest before the start of the fireworks festival."

_Couples or soon-to-be couples, who would kiss or confess to each other during fireworks festivals held here, would end up being together._

Natsu pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face there so he could hide his burning cheeks. Ever since Cana explained to him about the legend of fireworks festivals in Fairy Tail Academy, it never left his head, constantly bugging him. He knew that how much he deny it, he knew deep inside that he wanted to try it with Gray.

_Natsu-chan, I like you. Please go out with me._

Another one that kept on bugging him was Lyon's confession that afternoon. Though he just met him a few days back, Lyon proved to be a good friend to him, one that he didn't want to lose. He enjoyed the company of the white-haired male and he's not making him feel weird things like Gray does. But what should he answer Lyon?

"Natsu? Are you listening to me?"

"Ah, yes!" Natsu exclaimed then he grinned sheepishly at his blonde best friend who pouted at him. "I was just thinking about something. You were saying?"

Lucy shook her head at Natsu's inattentiveness. "I said, the whole class will be having dinner together after the fireworks festival. Jellal already made exclusive reservations at Kawamura's Sushi House**[1]**."

"Really?" Natsu beamed at that. If there's one thing he liked most in the world, that was food. "Sure! All the work today made me hungry I could surely eat a whole sushi house."

Lucy laughed at her best friend's crazy antics. She's glad to know that the old, cheerful Natsu was back somehow. She knew that he'd been uncomfortable these past few days all because of Gray. Though she somewhat liked the raven now, she's still a bit wary of what he would do to Natsu. _But tonight's not the right time to think about complicated things like that. _She mused as she stood up and stretched for the last time. "I'll go ahead and change clothes then Loke and I will meet you at the back of the school 30 minutes from now." She said. Since Fairy Tail Academy had a backyard of wide green fields, the fireworks festival will be held there.

Natsu nodded and watched Lucy leave the classroom. It was already empty except for him. After they closed their cafe, the whole class cleaned the room and began to change back to their uniform. Now the pinkette's the only one in the room and he's still in his maid outfit. "Might as well get changed now." He muttered to himself but he didn't make any attempt to get up from the floor where he was slumped. "But I'm sooooo tired..." He let out a loud yawn then before he could realize what was happening, he was slowly pulled into the darkness.

* * *

_...but it's just the price I pay_

_Destiny is calling me_

_Open up my eager eyes_

_I'm Mister Brightside..._**[2]**

"Umf..." Natsu moaned awake when he heard his phone ringing in his pocket. Without opening his eyes, he got the noisy gadget and answered it. "Yow," He greeted sleepily.

"Finally!" Lucy's irritated voice rang in his ears. "I've been calling you for the past few minutes and you only answer now. Where are you? I told you we'd meet at the backyard field in 30 minutes!"

Natsu shifted slightly when he felt something warm under his head. It was hard but warm. "Sorry, Lucy. You and Loke go ahead. I'll follow. I fell asleep at the classroom." He said without opening his eyes for he's so comfortable lying down.

Lucy sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" She asked rhetorically. "We'll just settle here. Mirajane spread out a huge blanket for everyone to sit on while we watch the fireworks. There are also cakes." She added, hoping that the mention of cakes would help make Natsu move and drag himself out of the classroom.

And it worked. Sort of. "Cakes? Great! I'll be there in five." He exclaimed then he hung up. He then sighed and dropped the phone on the floor, not caring if it breaks. Actually, he's so tired that he all he wanted to do is go home and snuggle in his warm bed. It was a surprise, even for him, that the charm of food didn't lure him at the moment. He was just about to doze off again when someone spoke which gave him goosebumps and an almost heart attack.

"I hope you're prepared to face Erza's wrath later."

Onyx eyes flew open and landed onto amused cobalt ones. It was then Natsu realized that the warmth under his head was Gray and that he was lying on the raven's lap. He hurriedly got up while blushing furiously. "Why are you here?" He asked as he attempted to stand but was unable to do so when Gray pulled him back down thus making him land on the other male's lap. He blushed even more. "What the hell, Gray –umf!" he was cut off when the raven's mouth sealed his.

"Hush," Gray whispered against Natsu's mouth when he broke the kiss. His arms tightened around the pinkette as he pulled him closer to his body, the shorter boy's back pressing against his chest. "Let's stay like this for a moment, Pinky. I miss you." He added as he rested his chin on the pinkette's shoulder.

Natsu could hear his heart pounding so hard that he thought it would burst any moment. "D-Don't say that!" He exclaimed as he vainly struggled to get out of the raven's arms.

"Why not?" Gray said with a pout which made Natsu squeal 'cute' in his mind. The raven's lips hovered just a few inches on the pinkette's neck, not minding the little struggles he was putting up. "It's true. I miss you." He said, his lips touching the sensitive spot on the soft flesh thus making the shorter boy moan softly. He smirked.

"G-Gray..." Natsu stopped struggling and instead his hands held the raven's arms that were wrapped around his waist. "Ngh..." He moaned again when Gray's lips began to travel on the side of his neck, marking him as his. "W-We have... to go now." He managed to say in between his moans. "E-Erza... will kill us if... we don't show up."

"Don't worry, I won't let her hurt you." Gray said then he raised his head and stared into Natsu's eyes. Onyx met cobalt. "I'll protect you, Natsu."

The pinkette blushed mad again while getting conscious because of Gray's stare. "S-Shut up, Gray."

Gray chuckled then he planted a kiss on the pinkette's temple. "How about we skip going to the sushi shop and just stay here until the fireworks festival starts? I had enough of dealing with everyone today."

"W-What are you planning to do huh?" Natsu nervously asked.

Gray laughed when he got what the pinkette meant. "There's nothing to worry, love. I won't do anything you don't want. I just want to be alone with you."

Natsu could feel himself blushing again at the endearment and he thought that one day, he would surely suffocate with too much blood going up his head. "Idiot." He muttered though he was slowly relaxing against the raven-haired teen. "We have to go to the Sushi House later. I want sushi."

"I'll buy you a whole restaurant, Pinky." Gray said, happy that Natsu had stopped fighting against him. He got his and Natsu's cellphone and turned it off so no one would bother them. "By the way, have I told you that you look really adorable in that maid outfit?"

"Don't push it, ice-block."

* * *

It was all dark in the classroom when Natsu woke up again. From a distance, he could hear ji-chan announcing that the fireworks festival would begin in five minutes. "Gray..." He called the raven-haired teen who was also sleeping and cuddling him from behind. He blushed slightly when he noticed that Gray's face was closer to him. _He's really handsome. _He shook his head to stop his thoughts. "Gray, wake up." He called as he tugged at the other guy's arm.

"Hn." Gray mumbled as he began to wake up. "What is it, Pinky?" He asked in a sleepy voice. He straightened and leaned his back on the cool wall behind him, his eyes still closed and his arms still wrapped around the boy in front of him.

"The festival's about to start, idiot." Natsu said but he made no move to get up. Instead, he leaned even closer to Gray, savouring the warmth brought by the raven. He turned his head to the side so he could take a look at his face.

Gray opened his eyes in time to see Natsu looking at him. He grinned when the pinkette blushed and looked away. "We can still see the fireworks from here." He said as he motioned to the windows giving them unhindered access to the night sky. Honestly, he couldn't care less about the fireworks festival or whatever Fairy Tail was up to at the moment. All he wanted was Natsu.

"Yeah, you're right." Natsu replied as he leaned his cheek against Gray's chest so he could have a better view of the window. The rhythmic beating of Gray's heart against his ears drowned all the noise in the surrounding. He sighed in contentment.

_Couples who kiss on fireworks festivals held at Fairy Tail Academy will surely be together forever._

Gray watched both in curiousity and in amusement as Natsu's expression went from peaceful to embarrassed. Now the pinkette was a blushing mess in his arms. "Why are you blushing, Pinky?" He asked, resisting the urge to kiss the pinkette right there and then.

"I-It's none of your business!" Natsu hissed then his and Gray's head snapped up when they heard that the countdown has started. "Bugger..." the pinkette cursed then he swiftly stood up, grabbed Gray's hand and began to drag him out of the room, not minding that he was still wearing the maid outfit.

"Where are we going, Pinky?" Gray asked as he let Natsu drag him. He was obviously enjoying the moment of them holding hands.

"We're going to watch the fireworks." Was the pinkette's reply before the two of them got out of the building and headed towards backyard field. They saw lots of people –students and teachers of Fairy Tail Academy and several outsiders.

"People are everywhere." Gray grumbled, his hand tightening around Natsu's so that he and the pinkette wouldn't be separated. "We should've stayed at the classroom."

"Shut up." Natsu hissed as he looked around for their friends. Surely, Lucy and the others have reserved a place for them. He acknowledged Gray's point that they could watch the fireworks better at the classroom but he couldn't stay there alone with the raven. Not when what Cana told him a while ago remained clear and intact on his head.

_10... 9..._

"By the time we find our classmates, it will be all over." Gray said in a bored tone as if he read Natsu's mind. He was having a nice moment with the pinkette there at the classroom but the latter just have to ruin it.

"Then why don't you help me you look for them since you're taller than me?" Natsu snapped as he went on looking around, even going to the point of standing on his toes so he could see over the throng of people around them.

_8... 7..._

"Why should I?" Gray grumbled. He didn't want to go out in the first place. He let out a 'tsk' and looked around when Natsu glared at him. _This is a bother. _He mused then he raised an eyebrow when he saw something. He smirked. _Heh, this might turn out even better after all. _"Pinky, let's go there." Without letting the shorter boy reply, he dragged him away from the crowd.

_6... 5..._

"Why are we here?" Natsu asked in confusion when Gray brought him to the Sakura tree standing alone at the far side of the backyard field. It was dark and far from the center so no one's around except the two of them. "We shouldn't waste time and find the others."

"We both know that you're the one wasting time." Gray calmly said as he climbed onto the branch of the tree and sat on it, facing the crowd eagerly waiting for the fireworks to start. "I have a good view here. It's even better than the window on the classroom." He looked down at the pinkette who was below and offered his hand. "Come."

_4..._

Natsu stared at the hand that Gray offered while faint blushes painted his cheeks. He then accepted the other's hand feeling its calloused warmth as he climbed up the tree, too and settled down beside the raven. "You're right. The view's great from here."

Gray smirked as he watched Natsu take in the scene in front of them. The students, the teachers and everyone else looked so little as if they were ants. "I can't wait for the fireworks!" He cheerfully exclaimed.

_3... 2..._

"Sure you can't." Gray murmured then his hand cupped Natsu's chin and let the boy look at him. The pinkette opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. They just simply stared at each other while Gray's eyes slid down to Natsu's parted lips. He began to lean closer. Natsu gulped.

_1..._

-BOOM!

The raven's lips sealed the pinkette's just as the fireworks illuminated the night sky. Onyx eyes widened the moment Gray's mouth came crashing down on his. Natsu stayed motionless for a while but it was only for a few seconds before he began to kiss the other boy back.

Gray smiled against Natsu's mouth when he felt the pinkette responding on his kiss. He pulled him closer as he let his tongue map out the smaller boy's hot mouth, tasting a bit of chocolate cake and another taste that was uniquely Natsu. He let out a groan as he was getting turned on just by the taste of the pinkette, his mouth went on attacking the other in a gentle but erotic way.

In his hazed mind, Natsu heard Gray groan and he couldn't help but get satisfied at the fact that it was because of him. His small hands came to rest on the raven's chest, tugging at the white dress shirt he was wearing while pressing himself closer. Who would have thought that he would get what he wanted tonight?

The fireworks continue to make their show on the night sky, giving hope to every loving hearts and lighting up the place for a certain couple who was currently lost in their own little world.

* * *

"What's the matter, Pinky?"

Shuffling of shoes. Twirling of fingers nervously. "..."

An irritated growl. "Natsu..."

Another nervous shuffling. "C-Can I go home now?" Came the timid question. It was really out of character for Natsu to act like a shy or scared little girl.

A scowl found its way on Gray's features though unsuccessfully marring his gorgeous face. In fact, he still looked hot even when scowling. "Okay, what's the matter with you?" He asked, trying hard to cover up the concern he's feeling for the obviously agitated pinkette.

Natsu stared at the taller teen who was waiting impatiently for his answer. How dare him ask what's the matter? What's wrong? Couldn't the idiot see that they're treading on dangerous water here? In more ways than one. And it was all because of that kiss!

Yeah, the kiss that almost took Natsu's breath away. Both literally and figuratively. The kiss that he considered as the best one he ever had, not that he'd been kissed by another guy before. It was only Gray. And oh, Lyon, too. But that was just a chaste kiss and he didn't feel something when the white-haired male kissed him.

Okay, going back to Gray's kiss. It was a very out-of-this-world kind of kiss for Natsu. From a very hot and passionate kiss, it became a total make-out session. Yes, a very hot make-out session at the backyard field, atop that lone Sakura tree where they could have been seen clearly had anyone cared to look.

Their make-out session lasted for about half an hour that the pinkette wondered how the both of them managed to stay atop the tree and not fall down the ground and break their bones or something like that.

But he doubt if he would ever feel them falling, not with the way he was so addicted to Gray's kisses that everything that wasn't Gray was completely blocked out by his senses.

Everything went smoothly and he was in cloud nine (though he wouldn't admit it to Gray) until he remembered about class 2-A's plan. He and Gray had already skipped the first plan of watching the fireworks together with their classmates and now they're late for the second one. Erza is surely really pissed by now.

"Oi, idiot! Snap out of it!"

Onyx eyes blinked several times before finally focusing onto the glaring raven-haired male. "What?"

'What _'what'_?" Gray repeated in incredulity. "Don't _'what' _me! I'm asking what's wrong with you!"

"Don't yell at me, you bastard!" Natsu yelled back. He was annoyed for being interrupted in his thoughts. Even if the one who interrupted him was the one he was thinking about.

The raven growled under his breath. "We have to go. We're already twenty minutes late because of you spacing out." He grabbed the pinkette's hand and began dragging him out of the school and towards Kawamura Sushi Shop.

"It's not my fault we're late! If you hadn't ki –" Natsu stopped himself on time. He felt his face heat up when he realized that he was about to say 'kiss'.

Gray turned to look at him again. A smug smile was etched on his gorgeous face. "I did what?" He asked, a hint of teasing in his voice. He knew what Natsu was about to say but he just love making the pinkette all worked up.

Natsu scowled at Gray which the latter found adorable. "Go kill yourself, you bastard." He hissed then he pulled out of the raven's hold and began walking ahead. "I hope Erza kills you."

Gray chuckled as he followed the pinkette. "So you're worried about Erza."

"No, I'm not."

"No, no, my mistake. You're not worried. You're _scared _of her." Gray laughed when Natsu snarled at him. He slung his arm around the pinkette's shoulders which made the shorter boy huff but didn't pull away. "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but you've pissed her off, too. So what do I say? See you in hell, Pinky?"

"Go to hell on your own."

* * *

"Here's your order, kids! One special ramen." The owner of the ramen shop exclaimed as he placed a huge steaming bowl of ramen in front of Natsu and Gray.

"Thanks, Macao!" Natsu said with a huge grin on his face then he happily dug on the hot noodle soup. "Delicious!"

Macao grinned at the lively pinkette. "Well glad you like it, Natsu." He then turned to Gray who was looking amusedly at the boy eating heartily beside him. "I suggest you order on your own, Gray. Natsu's such a huge eater." He said with a laugh.

Natsu pouted at the ramen shop owner while Gray chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?" He said which made the pinkette glare at him. He smirked before turning back to Macao. "I'll have ebi curry, Macao-san."

"One ebi curry coming right up!" Macao said then he began to prepare Gray's order.

Instead of going to the sushi shop as what was in the plan, Natsu and Gray ended up at the ramen shop near Natsu's house owned by his friend, Macao Conbolt. The pinkette was worried about what might Erza do to them and Gray wasn't really keen on competing for Natsu's attention at the moment so they decided to skip the other plan. The two were lucky for Macao let them in albeit the shop had already closed for the night.

After a few minutes, Macao placed the dish in front of the young Fullbuster who instantly dug into the mouth-watering ebi curry with gusto. "Mmm..." Gray murmured while nodding his head in approval. "This is really good, Macao-san."

"Really?" Natsu inquired as he leaned closer to the raven-haired teen, his eyes focusing onto the food. "Let me taste it!" He exclaimed.

"With pleasure." Gray said then with a mischievous smile, he got a spoonful of ebi curry and raised it to Natsu's mouth. "Say aahhh, Pinky."

"W-Wha –umf!" Natsu wasn't able to finish what he was about to say because the moment he spoke, Gray instantly chucked the spoon in his mouth. He glared at the raven who was smiling innocently at him while chewing the food. Then his eyes widened and he turned to Macao who was wiping a bowl clean. "Macao! You have to teach me how to do this!" He exclaimed before opening his mouth again to accept another spoonful of ebi curry from Gray. "Tish ish zeh besh ebu curry I'ff tashted!" ("This is the best ebi curry I've tasted!")

Macao laughed at the enthusiastic pinkette in front of him. He was obviously happy with the praises he received from Gray and Natsu. "If you really like, kid, I can teach you. But not tonight."

"Yay!" Natsu punched his fist in the air, face lighting up in glee. "I'll remember that!"

"Do I get to taste it?" Gray asked sweetly. He couldn't deny the pleasure he felt just by seeing Natsu's face so blissful like that.

Natsu, forgetting his planned aloofness towards Gray for the moment, grinned happily at the raven-haired teen while nodding his head in affirmation. "Of course! You get to be the first one to taste it."

Gray felt a warm hand touch his heart at Natsu's gesture. Honestly, he felt utterly relieved. It didn't really surprise him when the pinkette left Edolas two years ago after what he had done but still, it hurt him. He didn't tell anyone how he actually felt and pretended that it didn't matter to him. Natsu left without any word to him so why should he care?

But after a year of not having Natsu around left him feeling empty. He and Natsu practically grew up together and not seeing the other's idiotic smile and bubbly personality was something he realized he couldn't bear. It was then he finally admitted to himself that he's, in fact, in love with his best friend, too.

After carefully thinking over what he should do, he went to Natsu's father, Igneel, to inquire where the pinkette went to. He had to find Natsu whatever it took.

But it took him another year to finally persuade Igneel to tell him where Natsu is. When he managed to convince the man that he's serious about his only son, he was told that Natsu was in Magnolia, studying at Fairy Tail Academy.

Knowing that his mother, Ur, wouldn't let him transfer to a simple school in a far place, Gray ran away from home. He had enough resources to last him for several months, even a year.

And now, he's here beside the most important person in his life, eating in a simple ramen shop. He knew Natsu hasn't really forgiven him about what he did back in junior high but he would wait. He would do anything to earn the pinkette's forgiveness and most importantly, win his love back.

"Gray? Are you alright?" Natsu's voice pulled Gray out of his thoughts. The pinkette looked at him concernedly while his hand went to touch the raven's forehead, checking for his temperature. "You've been spacing out. You're not ill, are you?"

Gray smiled softly as he got Natsu's hand that was on his forehead. It would always be a wonder to him how surprisingly small and soft Natsu's hand was, just like a girl's. He brought their entwined hands to his lips and kissed the pinkette's knuckle. "I'm fine, no need to worry."

Natsu blushed furiously at what Gray did. He could still feel the raven's warm lips on his hand so he pulled it back to him. "I-I'm not worried about you!" He exclaimed, cheeks flushed up. Gray just grinned at him.

Macao watched the two teens with a smile on his face. He could clearly see the love between the two and he hoped that they could surpass whatever hardships they have to endure in the future. "Ah, young love." He murmured. Natsu blushed even more when he heard him while Gray chuckled.

* * *

"_Isn't it amazing that somewhere in this world, there's a man who's allowed to kiss her?"_**[3]**

"Why are we watching this?" Gray grumbled for the nth time that night. He really, really hated sappy, corny movies aka chick flicks.

"I didn't tell you to watch it." Natsu snapped, he was slightly pouting but his eyes never left the flat screen idiot box in front of them. "In fact, I didn't invite you here. You just came on your own volition."

The raven rolled his eyes as he leaned back on the huge couch behind him. After stopping by Macao's ramen shop for dinner, he walked Natsu home, turning a deaf ear from the pinkette's protests that he can walk home by himself. Then after another series of half-hearted protests from the other boy, he stayed to watch the movie Natsu wanted to see for a long time. "But still, this is sappy. And corny. And very cheesy."

Natsu growled under his breath then he stomped on Gray's foot for the second time that day. This time, he did it really hard that the raven yelped loudly. The moment the taller boy yelled, he instantly popped a handful of popcorn onto his mouth.

Gray glared at Natsu as he struggled not to choke at the popcorn in his mouth. "What was that for?" He asked irritably after he managed to swallow the popcorn without choking to death.

"That's to shut you up, ice-block." Natsu said as he placed the bowl of popcorn on the raven's hand. "I suggest you make that mouth of yours busy so you won't be annoying me."

Gray raised an eyebrow as he placed the bowl on the coffee table in front of him. Then without any word, he pulled the unsuspecting pinkette in his arms and kissed him long and hard.

Natsu's onyx eyes widened at the sudden act but it was only for a second. He slowly closed his eyes as he began to kiss the other boy back. His lips parted slightly when he felt Gray's tongue licking his lower lip, as if begging him for entrance. Their tongues dueled, one not wanting to be outdone by the other.

Gray smiled to himself when he felt Natsu eagerly responding to his kisses. Without breaking the kiss, he slowly manoeuvred the pinkette to lie down the couch with him on top. He nibbled on Natsu's lower lip before finally breaking the kiss.

"W-What was that about?" The pink-haired boy asked panting beneath him, making Gray's own breath hitch at the sight laid out underneath him. Natsu was panting, his lips were parted slightly, his cheeks flushed and his eyes had gone a shade darker with desire. It took all of Gray's strength not to take the pinkette right there and then.

The raven-haired teen grinned then he kissed the flustered Natsu's cheek. "You said I should keep my mouth busy." He replied innocently which made the other growl at him. He chuckled then he kissed Natsu's cheek again. "You really are cute, Pinky."

* * *

Ultear was reading a magazine on the living room of Lyon's hotel suite when said teen arrived. "So, how was it? Did you find your crush?" She asked without looking at her cousin.

Lyon nodded as he took off his coat and went to get a beer from the fridge. "Yeah. I even had the guts to confess to him." He said, his face heating up when he remembered that he was able to kiss Natsu that afternoon.

Ultear raised an eyebrow when she saw the expression on Lyon's face but didn't say anything. "Did you see Gray?"

The white-haired teen shook his head as he took a huge gulp of beer. "Haven't seen a shadow of him there. I think he's busy with that person again." He chuckled amusedly, thinking of the young Fullbuster's most important person. "I wonder what kind of person he is."

"He's a very interesting person." The dark-haired girl replied which made Lyon look at her. She smiled. "I can't wait for you to meet him, Lyon."

Lyon frowned at that. "I doubt Gray would introduce him to me."

Ultear's smile widened. "Gray won't have any other choice but to introduce him to you." She said mysteriously which made her cousin look at her in confusion. "You'll see." Then she rose from the couch and walk to her room, leaving a wondering Lyon behind.

* * *

**[1] Kawamura Sushi Shop is in Tenisu no Oujisama. It is owned by Kawamura Takashi's family. I don't know what it's called so I just made up the name.**

**[2] The title's Mr. Brightside. It's my current ringtone.**

**[3] A line from the movie Notting Hill.**

**Please read and review! :)**

**~koichii**


	11. Chapter 11

**After several days, here's chapter 11 of Realize! Gihihi! :3**

**darkhuntressxir: Natsu will be with Gray. Well, it depends on what our favorite ice mage would do. Haha. He should get Natsu soon or else another ice mage might steal the pinkette! Thanks for the review. :D**

**theabridgedkuriboh: Yes, it's really sweet to kiss under a Sakura tree. OMG. I want to be kissed under the Sakura tree, too! XD Thanks for the review and let's run before Erza arrives! HAHA**

**27CansOfTuna: I'm glad it made your day. Teehee~ Let's hope Natsu could forgive him soon. Well, he would have to work hard for it. Hehehe... sure, I will have more flashbacks of them as kids. Thanks for the review! :3**

**Yaoi-forever7: Hahaha! Thank you! It isn't really that good. I still have some problems with my tenses. But thanks for thinking such! :)**

**LunaandGinnyBestFriendsForev er: Thank you! :)**

**Shining-Neon-Skies: Yes, best shounen-ai/yaoi ever! Thank you for the review! XD**

**Sedamentary: ****Hehehehe smut? Well, let's hope for the best. Thanks for the review! :D**

******amyskywalker: Wow! You actually finished the 10 chaps? Great! You made my day. Gihihi. Thank you for the review and I'm glad you liked it. :)**

******CsillaDream: Ultear's a bit playful here but not really bitchy. Hehehehe... Let's just hope for the best the moment Gray, Natsu and Lyon would meet together. Thanks for the review! :D**

******A/N: Valentine's is almost here! Golly! If you have to date an anime character, who would it be? Mine would be Hitsugaya Toushiro! I want Gray but I don't dare take him away from Natsu. Teehee~ On to the story!**

******Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

–**Realize–**

The shuffling of the bed woke up Natsu the next day. Opening one onyx eye, the first thing he saw was dark hair then followed by a pale, bare torso down to long, lean legs encased in equally dark jeans that was riding low on taut hips. Then his eyes went to the face of the owner of that gorgeous body and realized that it was Gray. Still incoherent because of sleep, the pinkette turned his head to the side and watched as the raven-haired teen went to the opened window and stared outside. "It's snowing." He said in a quiet and uncharacteristically peaceful voice.

Natsu's attention shifted from Gray to the window and saw that the raven was right. It was snowing outside and it looked as if Magnolia was covered by a blanket of white. "First snow?" He asked as he sat up, rubbing the sleep off his onyx orbs.

"Seems like it." Gray replied as he extended his arm out of the window and caught a tiny ball of snow on his palm. He smiled. Winter would always be his most favorite time of the year and he loved the cold. It gave him a familiar sense of peacefulness as if he was like a kid who had no care in the world.

Natsu stood up and joined Gray on the window. He watched as the snow slowly melted onto the raven's hand. "I hate the cold but I like snowball fights." He said as he unconsciously leaned against the taller boy's side. He then let out a small yawn. "And hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows, too."

Gray glanced down at the pinkette leaning against him. Natsu in his red and white dragon-printed pajamas looked so cute. Add the sleepy expression and he totally looked adorable. He smiled again as his right arm wrapped around other boy's smaller frame and pulled him closer to his bare chest. "Wanna have a snowball fight later?" He asked while nuzzling the pink messy hair.

"Hell, yeah!" Natsu exclaimed, suddenly getting fired up. "I'll beat you into a pulp this time, Gray!"

Gray grinned smugly at the pinkette. "It's free to dream, Pinky. Just don't dream too much. I hate to kick your ass and wake you up."

Natsu snorted then he pulled away from Gray's hold making the latter scowl a bit. "Let's see whose ass gets kicked!" With that, he ran to the bathroom to take a shower.

Gray watched as the bathroom door closed for five seconds then it opened again, the hinges of the poor door almost taken off when Natsu kicked it open. The pinkette was panting heavily and glaring at the raven with cheeks as pink as his hair. "Why the hell are you here, by the way!"

* * *

"I-It's so cold… brrr!" Natsu complained when the cold air hit him the moment he opened the door. He instantly pushed it close and sighed in relief as the warmth brought by his apartment surrounded him once more.

"What are you doing?" Gray asked as he watched the pinkette lean against the closed door, sighing in utmost relief. "We have to go out or else we'll starve to death here."

"It's so cold! I don't wanna go out." The shorter boy whined then he marched to the living room and lied down on the huge, warm couch, snuggling at one throw pillow. "You can go. I have cup noodles here. It'll last me until this cold weather is gone."

"Idiot, do you want to get ill? Processed foods aren't healthy." Gray said when he entered the living room. "Why don't you have a jacket? That's why you're cold because you're wearing a thin shirt."

Natsu pouted at him which Gray found cute. "I didn't see the need to have a jacket. Dad and I would usually go some tropical place every winter. This is the first time I'm on my own for Christmas." He said, his voice holding a subtle sadness in it. Igneel was on a business trip for a month and he won't be back to Edolas until mid-January.

Gray just stared at the gloomy pinkette for a moment. He hated it when Natsu was sad. Without any word, he pulled him up and dragged him outside.

"I-It's c-c-cold!" Natsu stuttered as his teeth began to chatter due to the cold the moment they were outside. He turned to glare at Gray while wrapping his arms around his torso to keep himself warm. "I-I… t-t-told you… I… d-d-don't… wanna g-g-go out!"

"Such a baby." Gray commented which made Natsu growl at him. He laughed.

"W-What did –umf!" The shivering boy wasn't able to finish what he was about to say when he was hit by something straight to the face. He instantly took the offending material and inspected it cautiously. It was a black jacket. Gray's black jacket. "…"

"I'm not affected by the cold so you can wear it." The raven said then he began walking to the side of the snow-covered street. He then looked back at the pinkette who remained in his spot, staring at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Come on, Pinky, move. I'm hungry."

Natsu blinked several times then he looked back at the jacket in his hands, a blush slowly creeping on his face. He glanced up at Gray when the raven let out another impatient grunt. The pinkette hurriedly slipped the jacket in his arms and instantly felt warm. He could feel and smell Gray as if the raven was hugging him. With face as pink as his hair, he ran out of the gate and towards a waiting Gray who smiled the moment he got near.

"Still cold?" The raven asked while offering his hand to the blushing pinkette.

Natsu shook his head as he hesitantly accepted Gray's hand. "Nope…" He said quietly. Gray chuckled then the couple began walking away.

"You're so cute when you blush, Pinky."

"Shut up, ice-block."

* * *

"Where have you been last night?" Lucy asked, her tone slightly miffed, as she rested her elbows on the table and looked directly at Natsu and Gray who were eating in front of her and Loke. "Erza was pissed."

Natsu, who was happily devouring a red velvet cake, choked at Lucy's last statement. Gray and Loke laughed at the coughing pinkette. "D-Don't laugh, Gray! It's your entire fault!" He yelled at the raven when he recovered.

Loke clucked his tongue as a mischievous grin found its way on his handsome face. "You two did something last night." He said teasingly which made Natsu blush and Gray to look at him with a bored expression. The strawberry-blonde teen whistled. "I knew it." Then his smile turned into an adorable pout. "How come you got laid before me?" He asked Gray.

At that question, Loke earned different reactions from his friends. Natsu choked on his cake again, Gray doubled over the floor while laughing too hard and Lucy whacked him at the back of the head while blushing furiously. "Loke no baka! Take your mind off the gutter."

Gray went back to his chair and after a few minutes of struggling to stop his laughter (for Natsu and Lucy were already throwing death glares in his direction), turned to Loke who was rubbing the back of his head. "Really? You two didn't do _it _yet?"

"Gray!" Natsu exclaimed, cheeks blushing furiously at the question. Albeit it wasn't meant for him, he still found it awkward to talk about his best friend's sex life.

"No," Lucy frankly declared which had Natsu's jaw dropping in utmost surprise. He never thought that Lucy would answer Gray. "And he won't be getting anything in the near future." She then glared at her boyfriend who winced.

"Aww! Don't be like that, honey. It's not fair." Loke complained.

"Serves you right." Lucy huffed then she got up and left the café with Loke running to catch up with her. "Lucy, honey! Have mercy!"

Gray shook his head at that. "Looks like Loke should woo Lucy even more." He commented then he noticed Natsu taking a piece of chocolate cake from his plate. That's when he noticed that the pinkette had already finished his red velvet one. "Still hungry, Pinky, ne?"

"Who wouldn't be?" Natsu shot back as he took another piece of chocolate cake from Gray's plate. He then turned to Virgo who was passing by them. "Yow, Virgo-chan, can I have a chocolate cake, please? And another cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. Thanks!"

"Of course, Natsu-sama. I'll have it ready in a minute." Virgo said then she bowed and went to the counter to give Natsu's order.

"Chocolate cake and hot chocolate?" Gray repeated as he let Natsu finish his chocolate cake. "You sure have one hell of a weird appetite, Pinky."

Natsu stuck his tongue out to the raven. "You're just envious I get to eat more chocolate than you do." He childishly said.

Gray chuckled then he leaned closer and licked Natsu's cheek which made the latter blush. "You know I can order some for me, right?"

"Whatever." The pinkette huffed as he got his almost empty cup of hot chocolate and drained it. "Ah, hot chocolate is really delicious." He said in satisfaction.

Gray smiled when he saw the happy expression on Natsu's face. It was a look different from the one the pinkette was sporting a while ago. It was a look of contentment and simple bliss. And because he knew Natsu, he knew that it meant the other boy was beginning to relax.

From Natsu's apartment, the two decided to go to Zodiac Café so Gray could see it for the first time. Then they saw Lucy and Loke there who were having breakfast there and that was when their 'small' conversation started.

"Here are your orders, Natsu-sama." Virgo said when she came back exactly after a minute.

"Thank you, Virgo-chan! That was fast." Natsu said then he immediately dug on the chocolate cake that seemed like calling for him to eat it.

"You're welcome, Natsu-sama. So are you going to punish me then?" Virgo asked with a poker face on.

Gray was sweat dropped at the question. _Is this an SxM Café? _He wondered, the idea not really far-fetched since it was Loke who owned the café.

On the other hand, Natsu just laughed at Virgo's question. Obviously he was used to the pink-haired girl's antics. "No, I won't Virgo-chan." He said. He took a long sip of the hot chocolate and sighed in pleasure. "Maybe next time."

Now it was Gray's turn to choke on his coffee at that statement. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he glared at Natsu who was sitting beside him.

Virgo smiled slightly and bowed to Natsu. "Thank you, Natsu-sama." Then with that, she departed to greet the new customers who just entered the café.

"What the hell was that?" Gray snapped at Natsu when he recovered. "Don't encourage her!" He hissed. He admit, he's jealous at Virgo because Natsu seemed to have flirted with her while he's usually cold and aloof to him.

Natsu scowled at the raven then he stuck his tongue to him once more. "That was just a joke, idiot." Gray scoffed and looked away. "Wait! Don't tell me you're…" He blushed. "…jealous?"

"Jealous my ass." Gray muttered then he pinched both of Natsu's cheeks and pulled them widely which made Natsu look like an animated character. "Yes, I'm jealous. What would you do about it then?" He challenged.

Natsu slapped Gray's hand away and pouted at him while blushing madly. He was showing off an irritated expression but deep inside he's happy about the fact that Gray got jealous over Virgo. For him, a jealous Gray is a cute Gray. He blushed even more at his thoughts and buried his face deep onto the scarf that Igneel gave him.

"Hey, why are your cheeks red, Natsu? You're not cold still, are you?" Gray asked, voice laced with concern when he noticed the pinkette's flaming cheeks. "Or you drank too much chocolate."

"it's your fault!" Natsu snapped which surprised Gray. The pinkette, realizing what he just blurted out, instantly covered his mouth.

Gray snickered then he grabbed a fistful of Natsu's hair. Then before the pinkette could speak, he tugged the latter's hair and brought his mouth down to the shorter boy's soft, warm mouth, not caring if everyone could see them.

"Ngh…" Natsu moaned into Gray's mouth to protest but realized his mistake when the raven's tongue slipped inside of his mouth the moment he opened it. Letting out another moan, he gripped Gray's shirt and met the raven's tongue in a heated duel.

"Ehem…" An awkward coughing sound made the two broke away from each other. Natsu blushed for the nth time that day when he saw that everyone was looking at them. Unconsciously, he buried his face on Gray's chest to hide his embarrassment.

Gray, on the other hand, chuckled at the flustered pinkette. He wasn't the least bothered about the attention that they were getting. Then he felt Natsu burying his face on his chest which caused him to smirk. "You're really adorable, Pinky." He whispered into the pinkette's ear. He got a grunt in return. He chuckled once more.

* * *

After breakfast, Natsu and Gray just went on strolling on Magnolia's busy streets. They could see people going in and out of shops to have their last-minute Christmas shopping. Natsu was happily looking around the stalls and shops they passed by while Gray was just simply happy to be with the pinkette. They were sharing a comfortable silence when they saw people crowding around something at a distance.

"What's going on?" Natsu asked. Then without letting Gray reply, he ran to the crowd to check what's got the crowd to be excited. Gray just shook his head as he followed the pinkette. He admit, he got curious, too.

Natsu was looking up at something when Gray finally got to him. "Hey, Pinky? Did you find out what's going on?" He asked. He scowled when the pinkette didn't answer him and just went on staring at something ahead with his onyx eyes sparkling in excitement. "Oi, Natsu!"

"Gray!" Natsu suddenly exclaimed thus shocking the raven. He grasped Gray's arms and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. "It's a Christmas Theme Park! Let's go inside!"

That was when Gray realized that the people crowding wanted to get inside the newly-opened Christmas Themed Park in Magnolia. He looked back down at Natsu and almost got a heart attack when he saw how adorable the pinkette looked with those puppy dog eyes of his. "N-Natsu…"

The pinkette's eyes went softer, if it was possible. "Please, Gray! I wanted to go in there. Pleeeaaaasssseeee?"

Gray let out a helpless sigh at that. How could he refuse his cute little darling? "Okay, fine. But we've got to buy you some medicine first. I don't want you puking on me." He said. Natsu had some sort of a weird illness. He gets ill when he goes into any transportation or rides. It has been his illness since they were kids.

Natsu grinned widely and nodded. "Sure!" He agreed then he hooked his left arm with Gray's right arm and began dragging the raven off to the nearest pharmacy, with the pinkette's face showing off his excitement.

* * *

"Wow! Let's try that one, Gray!" Natsu yelled in excitement as he pointed his index finger at the giant roller coaster in front of them. They've already tried different rides and because of the medicine he took a while ago, the pinkette didn't get ill or something close to that.

Gray smiled at the bundle of energy that was Natsu. Seemed like the pinkette had forgotten the cold weather now that he's all focused onto trying each and every ride in the theme park. "After this we'll have lunch." He said. "Is that a deal?"

Natsu nodded with a huge grin on his face. "Deal!" He agreed then the young couple went to join the long line of people who were as excited as Natsu for the roller coaster.

After several minutes, a still cheerful Natsu and a poker-faced Gray walked out of the roller coaster area. "That was fun! I want to try it again!" The pinkette exclaimed then he attempted to go back inside.

Gray sighed as he held Natsu by his collar and pulled him in a restaurant called Pizza Factory. "No. We had a deal, right?" He reminded the pouting pinkette. Gray mentally told himself that he shouldn't let Natsu manipulate him with his cuteness. He was the seme in this relationship, damn it.

"Okay, fine." The pinkette relented, still with a cute pout on his face. He went to a table near the glass window and sat beside the glass, sulking.

Gray shook his head as he sat beside the pinkette. He was about to say something just to ease up Natsu's mood when something, or rather someone, caught his eyes. "Hey, is that Gajeel and Levy?" He asked as he motioned to the petite blue-haired girl walking hand in hand with the blushing metal boy.

Natsu, momentarily forgetting his mood swing, looked at the couple passing by the restaurant and nodded. "Yeah. What are they doing here?" He asked. Then it hit him as Gray shook his head once more. "Are they dating?"

"What else?" The raven rhetorically asked back. "About time for metal boy to make his move."

"I always thought that Gajeel doesn't like anyone." Natsu said as he scanned the menu. "He's always acting like a bastard." He added as he pointed at the lasagna at the bottom right. "I want this one." He told Gray.

Gray laughed at Natsu's comment then he motioned for the waiter that they're ready to order. But instead of the blue-haired boy he called earlier, a busty blonde waitress came to their table first. "What would your order be, _Master?_" She asked in a very seductive tone as she bent a little bit forward to give Gray a good view of her ample cleavage.

"We'll have lasagna and bacon pizza." Gray said, totally ignoring the not-so-subtle seduction that the waitress was doing. "And I'll have bottomless iced tea." He then turned to a frowning Natsu which made him raise a brow in question. "What do you want to drink, Pinky?"

"I'll share with you." It was out of Natsu's mouth before he could stop himself. He blushed while Gray looked surprise for a moment. Then the raven smirked as he turned back to the also shocked waitress. "You heard him, right?" He asked. The blonde nodded and immediately left after saying that their orders will be delivered shortly. The raven then turned to Natsu with a teasing smile.

"W-What are you smiling at!" Natsu yelled, his cheeks still burning at what he just said. Oh, great. He didn't know what made him say that. The busty blonde flirting with his Gray just irritated him to no end. Wait, _his _Gray? What the hell?

"I didn't know you're possessive, Pinky. I like it." Gray said in a teasing tone which made Natsu blush harder. He chuckled then he intertwined his right hand with Natsu's left and brought it to his lips. He kissed the pinkette's fingers one by one, eliciting a soft moan from the latter. His smile widened. "You don't have to worry, Natsu. I'm only yours."

Natsu glared at Gray, barely masking his surprise at the raven-haired teen's words. It made his heart skip a beat. "Whatever," He snapped. Gray smiled.

* * *

"Huh? A Christmas Theme Park?" Lyon wondered the moment he saw said attraction when he passed by it. He saw that aside from families, couples are there, too. He grinned as Natsu's face formed in his mind. "I'll invite Natsu-chan here. As a date." Satisfied with his plan, he pulled out his phone and began to dial the pinkette's number.

It took three rings before the phone was answered. "Hello?"

Lyon's heart jumped when he heard Natsu's voice. He began to blush. "Ah, hello Natsu-chan! This is Lyon. There's a newly-opened Christmas Theme Park in the city and I thought you might want to come and visit it with me." But the smile he was sporting instantly faded when he heard Natsu's reply.

"Eh? Theme Park? I'm already here, Lyon-san. Why don't you come here?" The cheerful voice suggested.

"Are… Are you alone, Natsu-chan?" The white-haired male asked, his voice oh-so-soft that Natsu almost didn't hear it. He never wanted to know if the pinkette was on a date but he had to know. He had to know if Natsu was already dating someone.

"Oh, I'm with –hey! Don't –"

.BEEP

Lyon stared at his phone for a moment when the call suddenly got disconnected. Then with a determined look on his face, he marched towards the Theme Park. He'll find Natsu-chan and ask him out again.

* * *

**Eeeeeee! Lyon's on his way! What to do? XD Please read and review!**

**~koichii**


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